Ain't No Rest for the Wicked
by The Batchild
Summary: BEING REWRITTEN. Alianna and Sindari Lordeck, Federation officers, are brought aboard the Enterprise by pure chance, or maybe luck. A plot against the Federation keeps them there and through their actions in helping to quash it earn them places among the crew.
1. Chapter One: Don't Wait Up

I do not own Star Trek or anything to do with said franchise. However, I own Alianna Lordeck and co-own Sindari Lordeck and this plot. This fic is based on the new movie, and thus, takes place in the alternate universe of the movie. It's rated for lots of bad language and some sexual scenes (let's face it, it is Captain Kirk we're talking about), and violence and some drinking. You know, standard stuff. Should be lots of fun and I apologize in advance if any of the information about Star Trek is wrong. I've tried to do research, but hey, with eleven movies, five live-action shows and one animated show, along with multiple books and such, getting all the facts straight is kind of hard. Anyways, enjoy.

* * *

**Ain't No Rest for the Wicked  
**Chapter One: Don't Wait Up.

* * *

"Captain, I'm getting a distress signal. It's a Federation shuttle."

James Tiberius Kirk, the recently-made Captain of the _U.S.S. Enterprise_, looked at Lieutenant Nyota Uhura, who was staring back at him with her wide brown eyes, waiting for his command. He leaned on one arm of his command chair and turned his blue-eyed gaze out the window, peering into the space before him. "Chekov, are we the closest Federation ship in the area?" he asked. When you the young ensign nodded, Kirk gestured to Sulu, the helmsman, and said, "Full warp then, Mister Sulu." There were several beeps as the course was laid in and the barely perceptible lurch as the Starship jumped from impulse power to warp speed.

"I'm picking up another signal, Captain," Uhura informed him a couple minutes later. "I… I'm not sure what the origin of the ship is, but it's close to the Federation shuttle."

"Any signs of hostility from the other ship?"

"Negative, Keptin," Chekov chirped from his console. "I am not picking up any weapon signatures from either of the wessles. It should be safe to drop out of warp right next to the shuttlecrafts."

"Excellent. You heard him Mister Sulu."

"Yes sir. Dropping out of warp in five… four… three… two… one."

The _Enterprise_ slowed back to impulse power and slid towards the suspended shuttles in front of them. The Federation vessel was, like most Federation shuttles, large and rectangular with the identification number of the ship it came from painted on the side in large black letters. Apparently it was a shuttle from the _U.S.S. Marissa._ There were no lights on in the shuttle, which set off warning bells in Kirk's head, but it was the other vessel that drew his attention. It looked incredibly dark next to the shiny silver of the Federation vessel, and there were large spots of rust splattered across the dented hull. There was no identification visible at first, but the ships were floating close enough together that the crew of the _Enterprise _knew the Federation vessel had been boarded. There were lights on in the mysterious vessel, and figures could be seen moving around. Handheld weapons were clearly discernable.

Kirk slipped off his chair and strode across the Bridge, up to the window. "Hail them on all channels."

"Nothing sir. They're ignoring us."

The Captain stared at the ship for a moment. There was something written on the hull, but it was half obscured with rust and unintelligible. "Keep trying," he muttered as he tried to figure out who the ship belonged to.

"Still nothing."

"All right then. Mister Sulu, Chekov—you're with me. Mister Scott," he said after he walked over to the nearest console and called Engineering. "Meet us in the Transporter Bay and prepare to beam three onto the Federation shuttle." He turned to face the assembled crew. "Mister Spock, you have the Bridge." He gestured to the helmsman and the navigator and they fell in behind their captain as he headed for the lift.

* * *

Whatever the Orions had used to bind her wrists and ankles was cutting into her flesh, and the blindfold was tied tight enough to give her a headache. There was blood trickling down to pool stickily in her palms and dripping into her boots. Her breathing was heavy and ragged from struggling vainly against her bonds. All around her there were soft whimpers and noises from the others who had been captured and whoever was beside her was leaning heavily on her legs, cutting off her circulation; her one foot was already tingling with pins and needles. When they'd been captured hours ago, Alianna Lordeck had been shoved into the cargo bay roughly, stumbling over someone and falling on her face. Her lip and cheek had split on her teeth and there was blood filling her mouth, but she was more concerned for the others around her. Alianna and her sister Sindari had been the only Starfleet officers aboard their shuttle, and they could take care of themselves, but the rest of the passengers were civilians and they had trusted Alianna and Sindari to take care of them on the journey from Andoria, where the sisters had been on extended shore leave, visiting their ambassador parents, back to the _U.S.S. Marissa_.

"Ali?" came her sister's voice in a whisper.

Alianna spit out a mouthful of bloody spit onto the metal floor and turned her head. "Sin? Are you OK?" Before they had been tossed into the cargo bay like so much trash, Alianna had seen her sister bite the hand of one of the Orion captures, earning her quite the savage knock around the head.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Bleeding from the head, but what else is new with us? Everyone's OK over here. How about over there?"

"We're all fine," someone said.

"Are you sure?" Alianna asked. There had been children aboard that ship. Being captured by slave traders wasn't something conducive to the growth of a kid, and if any one of their captors had hit one of the kids… Alianna closed her eyes behind the blindfold and pushed the terrible thought from her mind and tried to focus; tried _not _to think about the fact that she was bound.

"Yes, I'm sure," the same voice said again. "Maybe a little banged up, but—"

"Shut up in there!" one of the traders called, banging whatever weapon he had against the metal walls of the cargo bay and sending an uproarious racket rattling through the walls. "Or we'll gag you all too!"

"_You shut up you asshole!_" Alianna shot back, wincing against the influx of pain from her headache. She wiggled out from under whoever was pinning her legs down and tried to push herself to her knees, but something collided with the back of her head and sent her sprawling forward again, her shoulder landing on something small and round, and her teeth cutting into her tongue. "_Fuck_," she muttered, her voice sounding rather muffled as her tongue swelled.

"My sentiments exactly," someone whispered. "You landed on my antenna."

Alianna blinked furiously behind her blindfold, trying to rid her eyes of the tears blooming out of pain. "Sorry," she replied to the man, who could have only been Andorian.

_"I said shut up!_" the guard roared again.

Ten hours earlier, the Federation shuttle from the _U.S.S. Marissa_ had been intercepted by an Orion slave trading vessel six hours out of Andorian orbit, sending out a distress signal—one that had so far gone unanswered—as it went offline. The Lordeck sisters being the only trained officers onboard couldn't fight off the attack themselves and, even though some of the civilians had fought tooth and nail, everyone had ended up in the cargo bay of the trading ship, bound and blindfolded. As far as she knew, Alianna and Sindari were the only ones sporting any serious injuries however, and they were counting that among their blessings. The Orions hadn't said anything about where they were taking them or if they were working for the Syndicate, they had just taken them aboard and put them in the dark, a massive, disorganized pile of bodies. Alianna didn't mind being wedged into a small space with all the other people. She didn't mind the heat or the smell or the small space. She didn't even really mind being held hostage. But the bonds holding her arms behind her back and her feet pressed together were giving her some trouble; she was merinthphobic, afraid of being bound, and even though she had been able to keep her reaction to a minimum, the sweat dripping into her eyes was not helping matters and she was having trouble doing what she knew she had to: finding a way out of this situation for all involved.

There was the sudden zapping noise of a phaser discharging, drawing Alianna's attentions away from her phobia and her thoughts. The cargo bay door slammed shut as the guard cussed and ran off, charging his weapon with a high-pitched whirring as he went. Several loud thuds and screams echoed down the hall. Alianna wished she wasn't blindfolded, although she doubted she could see anything anyway. What felt like hours later but was probably only minutes, there was a long, loud grating noise as the door was opened and light flooded in. Alianna braced herself for more shouting and perhaps more beating around the head with a weapon, but it didn't come.

"They are all in here," a heavily accented male voice said. He sounded Russian. It wasn't a voice Alianna had heard before. Perhaps the distress signal from the shuttle had been picked up after all.

"All of them?" another new voice asked.

"Yes. I found a passenger list. There were fifty-eight people on board and by first count, there are fifty-eight people in the cargo bay," said the Russian man.

"Well, we best start freeing them while the Captain finishes talking to the Orions."

_Captain? Are these people Starfleet? _Alianna wondered. _I hope so… Maybe they're from the _Marissa _but I've never heard their voices before… _She wiggled onto her knees and her shoulder cracked against the wall. She cursed under her breath and twisted so she could sit on her butt, wedged into the corner with her right shoulder pressed against the wall to her side and her knees against the wall in front of her, meaning her back was to open space. Her breathing quickened again as she started to feel more bound in than before, but she closed her eyes and forced herself to stay as calm as she could. _If they're not Starfleet, I at least hope they're from the Federation. _In front of her, she could hear the passengers thanking whoever was rescuing them profusely, some crying and the youngest child on board screaming as it was reunited with her mother. _I must be at the back of the cargo bay… _she thought, realizing everyone ahead of her was being rescued first. Finally, the sounds of people being freed appeared to her left and she knew someone was approaching her. She'd be free soon, untied. And just like that, her mind returned to the fact that she was bound. Cold sweat broke out on her brow and she started shaking, breathing rapidly and whimpering ever so slightly. Alianna struggled at her bonds, not even noticing as the ropes cut deeper into her flesh and more blood dripped down her hands.

"Easy there," a third new voice said in a calming tone.

Alianna didn't realize she was being addressed, so when the hand appeared on her arm, she reacted with her first instinct: attack. She threw her head backwards with all the force she could muster and felt the bone and cartilage crack on her head, just above where the guard had hit her with his weapon. It hurt her like hell and little white spots of light appeared on the back of the blindfold. She was pretty sure she felt more blood trickling down her neck from the new wound, but she knew she'd broken the nose of whoever had grabbed her from behind; by the strangled scream of pain and the voice she'd heard before she'd been grabbed, she assumed it had been a man. That fact made her savagely happy and calmed her quite quickly; Alianna Lordeck took a sick pleasure in her ability to beat up men. As his hand wound around her bound wrist, she pulled her other arm forward, readying herself to smash her elbow into whatever part of him she could reach. She was blindfolded, tied up, on a strange ship, freaked out and looking for a fight to bring herself back to normal.

"Ali, no!" came her sister's voice, stopping her before she could move. Alianna turned her blindfolded eyes to her sister's voice, savouring the comforting noise. As the adrenaline from her phobia and from fighting faded from her system, she clung to the only familiar thing around. "They're Starfleet! It's Starfleet! It's OK!"

The fiery young woman sagged into the man's hand, if a little reluctantly. A small groan escaped her lips. She was happy they'd been rescued, happy everyone was OK, but there had been a little tiny piece of her that had been hoping for a fight with someone.

Whoever was holding her helped her gently onto her feet. He cut the bonds around her ankles and then untied the blindfold and Alianna blinked as the harsh lights of the cargo bay hit her eyes. A second later, the rope binding her wrists was removed as well and she gratefully rubbed at her eyes with her fingers. Alianna groaned again as the headache caused by the blindfold flared into full-fledged agony behind her right eye. "What the hell took you guys so long?" she asked no one in particular as she continued to rub her eyes. "The distress signal would have been sent out _hours ago_ when we were _captured_. Are you guys just slow?"

The answering voice came from behind her; the man who'd been holding her. "We were no where near here." His voice was cocky and a little rough. Alianna quite liked the way it sounded.

She rallied herself quickly. "There were _no _Starfleet vessels in the area? I find that kind of hard to believe, _since we are in Federation Space!_" Alianna turned around and fixed her bright green eyes on the man.

He was a few inches taller than her with light brown, short and messy hair and startlingly bright blue eyes, a darker ring of colour around the edge of the iris. His mouth was slightly lopsided, but his smile was easy and confident as was the way he held himself: like he belonged in the room; like he _owned _the room. That he could maintain that attitude even as he was holding his broken nose between thumb and forefinger and had blood covering the lower half of his face was quite impressive. He was indeed Starfleet, according to the yellow uniform shirt and the Starfleet insignia on the left side of his chest. He was quite attractive and Alianna had to mentally slap herself again.

"Who are you anyway? I don't recognize your face." Alianna demanded, taking no notice of his rank. If she was being honest—and she always was—she didn't really care what his rank was.

"Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship Enterprise," he said with the barest hint of pride in his voice and a bit of a smirk on his lips. "And you are?"

"It's none of your damn business who I am." Alianna's eyes narrowed further. _How the hell does he have that attitude with his face smashed in? _"And I've never—"

"Ali! Ali, it's _Captain Kirk!_ You know: the guy who beat the Kobiyashi Maru test! You wrote that—"

She shut her sister up with a wave of her hand as a faint blush crept into her cheeks, but Alianna blinked and stared at the man, trying to see Kirk's face properly beneath the carnage she'd caused.

He just smiled his arrogant grin and let out a small chuckle, wincing slightly as his nose protested. "So you _have _heard of me? And you _wrote _something about me? Sounds like you're quite the fan…" Kirk's grin grew. "Are you going to tell me your name now?"

"Lieutenant Commander Alianna Lordeck, _sir_," she said, consenting grudgingly. He was a Captain after all and he was above her. He was her superior. "I am the head of Security on the _U.S.S. Marissa_, _sir_." The way she used the title made it blatantly obvious she didn't respect James T. Kirk. Regardless of his reputation. And the admiration she had for his performance on the un-winnable test. And the fact that she was finding it hard to look away from his face. The expression she had twisted her face into just reinforced her voice. "Thank you for rescuing us, _sir_."

"Hm… no need to honour me so much, Lordeck."

"Shut your face."

"ALI!" her sister gasped. "You can _not_ talk to a Captain like that!"

Alianna, who didn't look away from James T. Kirk, narrowed her eyes further and placed her blood-covered hands on her hips. She knew she would be digging herself a hole, but she couldn't help it. "Watch me." The Captain just kept smiling at her. "_What the hell are you smiling at?!_ Are you going to go back to your ship—the _Enterprise_—or are we just going to stand here staring at each other? There are people with _injuries_ who need to be _healed_."

"Well, if you look around the cargo bay, you will see that you, that other woman and me are the only ones left."

Alianna pulled her gaze away from Kirk and looked around the very empty bay. Sindari was standing behind Alianna, looking flabbergasted with her sister's behaviour—which she really shouldn't have been, as Alianna had always acted brashly when she was uncomfortable or over emotional. She opened her mouth to say something as she turned back to Kirk, stopping as the familiar lines of light and tingling sensation of transporting spread through her body. Kirk, still holding his nose, smiled at her as they began to disappear. Alianna rolled her eyes. When they rematerialized on the transporter pad, she was still rolling her eyes, but Kirk was already moving away.

"Follow me ladies. Sick bay is this way."

Sindari appeared beside Alianna, hands on her head, fingers tangled in her short red hair. "I can not believe you were talking to him like that. Ali, you've already got one warning on your record."

"What do you care? If I get myself kicked out, that's my problem isn't it?" Alianna descended from the pad and headed in the same direction Kirk had gone a moment before, ignoring her sister as Sindari rolled her eyes. As she left the Transporter Bay and turned the corner, she walked into said Starship Captain. "_What the hell?"_

_"_You have quite the temper, don't you?"

"Shut. The. Hell. Up. _And take me to Sick Bay_."

Kirk shrugged his shoulders best he could with his hand still occupied at his nose. Alianna and Sindari followed him through hallways and down several decks to the Sick Bay in silence. Every once in a while Sindari would shoot her sister a look and then turn her gaze back to the hall in front of them and Alianna would roll her eyes at her sister. In Sick Bay, a surly-looking physician with dark hair and hard eyes took Alianna to the table farthest from the door and started scanning her. He was introduced as Leonard McCoy, also known as Bones, and he was the head medical officer. It only took about fifteen minutes for the man to bandage her up before he moved on to look at Kirk's nose.

"How did this happen?" he asked. "The bridge is nearly crushed. Was the guy who punched you wearing a metal glove or something?"

Alianna smirked, pleased she was able to defunct the macho image. "It was my head. I broke his nose with my head."

Bones looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "You must have a hard head."

"Apparently," she said as she slid off the bed and moved to stand at the foot of Kirk's bed. "So, _Captain_, are we going to try and contact the _Marissa_? I mean, since that ship was _much_ closer than the _Enterprise_ and they didn't respond to the distress call, I think there might be something wrong. Don't you?" Alianna felt her own eyebrow lift, and she leaned into the gesture, propping herself up with her hands on the end of Kirk's hospital bed. "And are you going to take us back to the _Marissa_?"

"I like this one Jim," Bones said.

Kirk rolled his eyes, but didn't reply to his friend's comment. "Yes, we're going to try and contact your ship and yes, we're going to take you back." As Bones finished putting the brace on the Captain's nose and handed him a wet towel to wipe the blood away, the tall man hopped down to stand in front of Alianna. "Lieutenant Uhura has been trying to contact the _Marissa _since Mister Sulu and Chekov returned from the shuttle. We'll let you know as soon as we have anything, but in the mean time, why don't we find you and your sister somewhere to rest?" The arrogant smirk was back, but it was a little more devastating without the blood covering his chin. Surprisingly, the effect wasn't damped by the brace on his nose.

Alianna glared all the more for that. "Fine."

As soon as Alianna, Sindari and Kirk were bandaged and all the rescued civilians were settled in and had calmed down, Kirk returned to the Bridge and to his command and a female ensign whose name Alianna didn't catch led her and Sindari to adjacent quarters that were unoccupied. Without saying anything to her sister or the ensign, Alianna retreated into her new quarters, the doors hissing shut behind her, and sat down on the edge of the bed. She stared intently at the wall for a while, trying to centre herself, to restore some measure of calm after all that had happened in the last day. After a moment, she fell backwards and put her clean hands over her eyes as she sighed heavily.

They _had _to contact the _Marissa_. Captain Joseph DeFalco, who had personally trained Alianna through much of her time at the Starfleet Academy, had been in command of the ship and if something had happened to him, to the ship, to _anyone _else aboard… Alianna didn't know what she was going to do. She didn't know if she could take it. The crew of the _Marissa_ was her family.

There was a buzz at her door, but she didn't pay any attention to it. It was probably Sindari, just checking on her hot-tempered big sister. Alianna kept her eyes closed and prayed Sindari would think she was asleep and leave her alone.

* * *

Uhura hadn't been able to reach the _Marissa_. Sulu had found the coordinates of the Starship in the computer of the shuttle and the ship was definitely there, but they weren't responding on any channel, and they were still too far away to do any scans for signs of life. Travelling at warp speed into an unknown situation was not a wise idea, but he wished there was some information he could give the Lordeck sisters and the civilians they had rescued. He was getting impatient, and he wasn't looking forward to telling either of them—especially Alianna—there was no word from their old ship. Not that he would ever admit it to anyone, but her temper was slightly intimidating. It wasn't anything Kirk couldn't handle, but he had never met a woman as fiery or as stubborn as her. It was a little unsettling.

He turned the corner and ran into Alianna.

"What the—"

"'Hell', I know," he finished. He smiled down at the woman with her intense green eyes.

The upper corner of her lip twitched with unspoken insults and she put her hands on her hips. The marks from her bonds stood out harshly on her pale skin, drawing Kirk's attention. "Have you heard anything from the _Marissa_?" she asked suddenly, jumping right to the topic Kirk was looking to discuss the least.

"Uhm… no."

"No?! What do you mean 'no'?"

"Don't freak out! Just because we haven't reached them yet doesn't mean we won't. We're still a fairly long distance from the ship's location and they could be having trouble—"

"Oh please. You know as well as I do that they're probably floating in space, _dead_."

"Wow. You're pessimistic."

Alianna scrunched up her face and folded her arms across her chest. Kirk thought it might have been to keep herself from hitting him, as she looked ready to punch him in the face or whatever part of him she could reach. "I'm _realistic_. When you can't contact a Starship, generally there's nothing good going on. I thought you were supposed to be smart or something. Didn't you get command of the _Enterprise_ in three years?"

"Huh, for someone so hateful you sure know a lot about me," Kirk said, his smirk coming to the surface almost without conscious thought. "And I know nothing about you."

"Well don't _count _on getting to know anything about me."

"You're playing hard to get."

"Well since I don't want you to 'get' me, that's a _pretty_ strange thing for me to do." Alianna turned and started walking back to her temporary quarters, her dark and ragged ponytail swinging rapidly back and forth. "And don't follow me. I'm going to sleep."

"I like sleep."

She whirled around so fast, Kirk almost got hit in the face by her hair. There was fire in her bright green eyes, but there was a different set to her face, to her eyes. "You are a _Captain_," she hissed. "I am your subordinate. _Stop it_." And then she turned around and all but ran into her quarters.

Kirk smiled to himself and headed to his quarters as well.

* * *

Alianna's eyes burned as she fought the tears. She didn't want to cry. Crying had always made her feel weak, but, where she had usually been able to suppress the emotions before, she was finding it strangely difficult to keep herself from shedding tears. Not even thoughts of her father's disappointment dried her eyes, and that always worked; repressed anger from childhood and all that. She was lying on her back on her bed staring at the ceiling again, trying very hard not to think about her friends aboard the _Marissa_, but like her tears, she was finding it hard to stop.

They couldn't be gone. They had to be alive.

She sat up and pressed the heels of her hands hard into her eyes, ignoring the pain. _No, stop thinking about them. They'll be fine… We'll get to the coordinates and Kirk will be right: the communications equipment isn't working and they just couldn't answer us or something…_ Alianna focused on that thought, but the negative side kept popping into her mind. _No, you were right. Your hunches are usually right. The ship is out there, sure, but everyone is dead. Everyone you ever cared about except your sister and your parents is dead. _She closed her eyes and pulled her knees up to her chest, replacing the pressure on her eyeballs and wrapping her arms around her legs, holding herself in the tight ball.

_Come on Ali, _she finally told herself. _There is no point in getting so worked up until we get there._

She uncurled and shifted into a more comfortable position, facing out the window of her room, staring at the stars instead of the wall. Her unusually bright green eyes stared back at her from her severe face, unblinking underneath a matted mess of her very dark brown hair, still half tied in a ponytail. The young woman sighed heavily, her straight shoulders falling and a new thought entering her mind.

_I need a shower._

She could suddenly feel the dried blood trails on the back of her neck and shoulders, cracking and flaking with every movement she made, and the general layer of grime and sweat covering her made her feel exceptionally dirty, even though she knew she looked like she'd just finished a day of hard labour and nothing more. Grunting vague expletives, Alianna climbed off the bed and headed for the attached bathroom, hoping against her common sense that _Enterprise_ would have normal showers and not those blasted sonic showers. On a Starship as new and as advanced as the _Enterprise _was however, it was unlikely she would find such "archaic" technology as water showers.

Alianna was, nonetheless, severely disappointed by the technology in her bathroom.

"Damn it," she breathed. "Oh well, better than nothing."

With some serious effort, she managed to get her hair out of the ponytail and brushed mostly free of the knots before she undressed. It took almost three times as long to prepare for the shower than actually taking the shower, which was over in a matter of minutes. Alianna was surprised to find that she felt as clean as, or more so than she would have, with water.

There was another buzz at her door.

Slightly annoyed, Alianna wrapped a fluffy white towel around herself and went to open the door, thinking it was her sister, just coming to check on her again. When the hydraulic doors opened however, she was not looking at her red-headed sister, but a tall Vulcan with something off about his eyes. She knew who he was, as he had taught several classes at the Starfleet Academy and had a reputation for being a little off for a Vulcan. This was Commander Spock, First Officer of the _Enterprise_.

He took in her towel-clad appearance with the barest of glances. "I am sorry to interrupt, Lieutenant Commander Lordeck, but the Captain wished that you and your sister were introduced to the First Officer and were given suitable uniforms to wear while you are aboard _Enterprise_ and for when you are returned to your crew."

"If we ever are," Alianna muttered, taking the folded bundle of black clothing. "Thank you, Commander."

"You are welcome."

"Oh Ali! You're awake!"

Spock and Alianna both turned at the arrival of Sindari, who was staring at the Vulcan with one eyebrow raised and a hand half-extended towards her sister's shoulder, no doubt about to make a comment about her sister's choice of apparel. A bright blush appeared instantly on Sindari's pale, pale cheeks and she averted her eyes, just as bright as Alianna's, and stared at her boots. The longer the Vulcan Commander stood there, the darker the blush in her cheeks got. Realizing the situation was tense, Spock disappeared with a nod of farewell down the hallway, and only when he had rounded the corner and his boots could no longer be heard clicking quietly, did Sindari look up and loosen her clenched teeth. Instead of any words of explanation to her odd behaviour, only an exasperated giggle came out, indicating Sindari's stress to her sister. When she tried to speak again—hopefully to explain _why _seeing Commander Spock made her so stressed—she was interrupted by a passer-by in the hall.

"Nice towel, Lordeck."

Pointedly ignoring the Captain, Alianna ushered her sister into her quarters and sighed as the doors hissed closed behind her. It was then she noticed her sister was dressed not in the civilian clothes she'd been wearing aboard the shuttle, but a black dress with the Starfleet insignia sewn into the fabric below her left shoulder and the recognizable boots of the Starfleet uniform on her feet. Alianna looked down at the pile of cloth in her hand and scoffed. She didn't want to wear a dress, not without leggings of some kind underneath, but she knew she'd have no choice, since all of _her _uniforms were aboard the _Marissa_ with most of her personal possessions and they wouldn't reach the ship until the middle of the next day at least.

"Oh come on Ali, you can wear the dress for a while," Sindari said, getting over her blush.

"I know, I know; I just hate them."

* * *

**Author's Note… **OK, so I know I shouldn't star anymore fics, but the new Star Trek movie was super awesome and I just couldn't wait. And, since I'm writing mainly for my enjoyment and the enjoyment of my friends who are helping me write and improve my writing, it doesn't matter anyway. I'll update what I feel like when I feel like it.

Except no, because I want to try and set up some sort of deadline. Bah. Like that'll ever work. I can't stick to schedules.

Oh and merinthophobia is a fear of being tied up, for those who don't know. Although, I think I said that in the story…

This is a huge endeavour for me, by the way, so please be gentle. No flames, please. It'll get better, I promise.

Ah, I love Kirk. Just for your information…

**Next Chapter: Chicky Can Kick Ass. **


	2. Chapter Two: Chicky Can Kick Ass

I do not own Star Trek or anything to do with said franchise. However, I own Alianna Lordeck and co-own Sindari Lordeck and this plot. This fic is based on the new movie, and thus, takes place in the alternate universe of the movie. It's rated for lots of bad language and some sexual scenes (let's face it, it is Captain Kirk we're talking about), and violence and some drinking. You know, standard stuff. Should be lots of fun and I apologize in advance if any of the information about Star Trek is wrong. I've tried to do research, but hey, with eleven movies, five live-action shows and one animated show, along with multiple books and such, getting all the facts straight is kind of hard. Anyways, enjoy.

* * *

**Ain't No Rest for the Wicked  
**Chapter Two: Chicky Can Kick Ass.

* * *

"Where are you going? It's late."

Alianna kept her eyes forward, looking at her reflection in the mirror as she secured her dark hair in a bun at the back of her head. Her rather severe face stared back at her, marred by bruises where it had struck the floor of the Orion cargo bay hours before. Along her cheek bone, faint triangle-shaped cuts could be seen where the textured floor of said cargo bay had split her skin. She brushed her fingers lightly across the abrasions. "Does time really matter in space? Where there's no light or dark? No night or day? Where's there's no shift in daylight? Time doesn't matter here…" she muttered absently, running her fingers around the bun, wishing she had the silver hair sticks that doubled as weapons she normally would have finished her outfit with.

"What's got you so philosophical all of a sudden?" Sindari was lying on her side on Alianna's bed, her head propped up on her hand. Her short red hair was flung in haphazard ways from her shifting positions, and her black Starfleet dress was rumpled; the boots lay forgotten on the floor at the end of the bed. Alianna knew, as soon as she left the privacy of the quarters, Sindari would be at one-hundred percent; she would be the perfect Starfleet officer, put-together and presentable to even the strictest of rule abiders and inspections. That was the major difference between the sisters: where as Sindari could turn her formality on and off as needed, Alianna tended to either be completely formal or completely informal at one time; she had very little concept of balance. "So, are you going to tell me where you're going all dressed up?" Sindari asked. "You haven't looked this well-dressed since before we went to see Mom and Dad."

"To see the Captain," she replied, completely ignoring the mention of her parents.

_"Excuse me?!_"

Alianna fixed her sister with one of her trademarked glares. "To apologize." She crossed the room to sit on the bed at Sindari's feet and looked at the floor. As she pulled her boots on, she said, "You were right. I already have one black mark on my record and I don't need any more. Since I'm pretty sure we're going to end up on the _Enterprise_ for a while at least, it seems the best course of action to apologize for my behaviour." With her feet back in the familiar-feeling boots, Alianna looked up at her sister, the corner of her mouth twitching in a smile. "I'm sorry I snapped at you."

"Hey, I'm used to it, but you're making the right move in apologize to Captain Kirk." Sindari's face filled with faux-sadness and she waved her hand in front of her face, fighting off imaginary tears. "You're growing up so fast—I'm so proud of you!"

Alianna's mouth bunched as she swatted her sister's leg. She missed these moments, where she and Sindari could act as sisters and nothing more. They had been more frequent when they'd been cadets at the Academy, and when they'd been younger, but as soon as they'd been assigned to the _U.S.S. Marissa_, they had had to grow up fast and the time to play—the time to be sisters—had all but disappeared. While they were both silently freaking out about the possible state of their ship, they were dealing with their emotions in the only ways they knew how: diverting attention and trying to keep their minds from jumping to the worst conclusion. Alianna and Sindari knew they might have to accept the deaths of their friends and crewmates, but they weren't prepared to deal with that loss unless they absolutely had to. So, until they knew the truth, the complete truth, they let the dark ball of thoughts fester in the back of their minds while they both attempted to carve out a place on the _Enterprise_.

"You should get some rest," Alianna said as she pushed herself to her feet, the hem of the dress swishing around her thighs. She walked over to the computer console in the wall. "Computer, locate Captain James Kirk."

_"Captain Kirk is in his quarters."_

"So should you," Sindari said after the synthesized female voice finished speaking. "Get some rest, that is."

"I'll be fine, Sin. This is something I have to do now, before I loose the guts."

"You? Loose your nerve? Unlikely."

"Still. Get some rest will you?" Alianna walked over to the doors, looking over her shoulder as they hissed open. Sindari shrugged, which was as much of a promise as Alianna was going to get from her sister, and Alianna exited her quarters, entering the black and white corridor and finding it a lot colder than her room. "Damn," she muttered. "They could keep this place a little warmer…" Alianna balled her hands into fists as she strode along the hall, towards the Captain's quarters.

Regardless of what Sindari had said, it wasn't that late, and as she'd seen the Captain only moments ago in the hall, she was fairly confident he would still be awake. And if he wasn't and she woke him… well, that was just one more thing to apologize for. When she reached the doors of the Captain's quarters—only recognizable by the out-of-the-way location of the rooms—she stood just inside the range of the door's sensors and pulled herself into an at-ease position and pressed the button, announcing her presence. After a moment, there was a faint noise and the doors slid open with their hydraulic hiss, closing behind her as soon as she was outside their sensor range. Alianna found herself standing in a very white sitting room with a long couch taking up the entire length of the far wall. There was a low, black table in front of the couch, unadorned except for a large, square plate. The furniture sat underneath the windows with all their blinds open, exposing a wide view of the space outside; Alianna knew they were moving, but since they weren't travelling at warp, it was impossible to tell just by looking at the surroundings. The stars hung as stationary balls of light in the vista.

She remained at-ease with her hands clasped behind her back as Captain Kirk entered the room, still dressed in his full uniform minus the footwear. He stood just in the door to his sleeping area barefoot and leaning on the doorframe. The brace on his nose seemed to stand out even more in the small area.

"Can I help you Lieutenant Lordeck?"

"It's Lieutenant _Commander_ Lordeck, if you please, sir." She bit off the rest of that sentence, forcing herself to be nothing but Starfleet. "Or just Lordeck. And I came to apologize for my behaviour earlier." Alianna had the overwhelming urge to drop her gaze to the floor, but she forced her bright green eyes to stay locked on Kirk's face. Her expression remained as stoic as she could manage; not for the first time in her life, she wished she had had Vulcan emotion-suppression training. Without waiting for Kirk to respond, she pressed on in her explanation, feeling it was necessary. "Visits with my parents never leave me in the best of spirits, sir, and getting kidnapped so soon after seeing them didn't help matters, especially when my sister and I should have been able to protect that shuttle and its passengers and we failed to do so. And, as you observed earlier, Captain, I do have quite the temper, although it will not be a problem any longer. I _will_ keep it in check." This time, she paused, allowing room for him to speak, but Kirk didn't say anything. He just kept looking at her, his usual smirk plastered on his face. Alianna cleared her throat as quietly as she could mange before saying, "_And_ I'm sorry I broke your nose, sir."

"That's quite all right, Lordeck. It'll heal. As for your behaviour…" He pushed himself off the doorframe and crossed the room to lounge on the couch, bare feet propped up on the table. "I'll let it go this time," he said as his smirk broadened. It only lasted a second before disappearing and he looked at Alianna with a calm expression on his face. "I understand you weren't in control of your emotions."

Alianna nodded. "Thank you, sir. Have a good night." She turned sharply and strode back into the sensor range of the doors, pausing as they slid open. After a brief moment of hesitation, she re-entered the hallway, leaving a smiling Kirk behind her.

* * *

Sindari hadn't gone to get rest like Alianna had suggested. She was more eager to explore the Constitution-class vessel, which was much different than the Excelsior-class _Marissa_ she was used to, than lay around her quarters unable to sleep. Sindari, who was the weapons officer aboard _Marissa_, was also very interested in the engineering aspects of starships and would have loved to learn how to fly one. Unfortunately, she had never been very adept at piloting, crashing many times in the simulators at the Starfleet Academy. Sure, she could do it in a pinch, probably make a safe landing or docking in an emergency, but she had always been better at understanding _how_ they flew over the actual actions of flying. Alianna had all the flying skills, but for some reason Sindari didn't completely understand, her older sister chose to head up security over sitting at the helm. Sindari's only theory was that Alianna liked the possibility of fighting and moving around rather than sitting at a console all the time.

_Oh well, _Sindari thought to herself as she rounded the corner to the turbolift. _I've never tried to understand Alianna before, and I'm not going to start now_. She pressed the button labelled "Engineering" and braced herself as the lift began its rapid descent. The lift stopped halfway there and the doors slid open to reveal Commander Spock. "Good evening, Commander," she managed as the blush crept into her cheeks again. There was something about the Vulcan Commander that flustered Sindari and she wasn't exactly what it was or why it happened. She wasn't sure if she liked it either.

"And to you, Lieutenant. Where are you headed? I would have thought you and your sister would require rest to recuperate from the events of today."

"I can't sleep, sir," she said. It wasn't a complete lie; sure, she hadn't tried falling asleep, but she liked to think she knew herself well enough to know there was too much adrenaline pumping through her veins for her to get any of the rest she needed. _I'll just be tired tomorrow, _she mentally mused. "I'm headed to Engineering. I thought I might take a look around… See the differences between the Constitution-class and the Excelsior-class." Sindari's mouth twitched in a grin reminiscent of her sister's manner as she looked at Spock, but she quickly brought it under control.

"Are you interested in Engineering? I was under the impression you were a weapons officer."

"I am, sir. I'm just interested in seeing the newest flagship of Starfleet," she said, unable to suppress her smile this time. It was one of anticipation, however, and once she realized it had escaped her control, she felt no need to rein it in. "I've never been aboard a Constitution-class vessel, Commander."

"Would you permit me to accompany you as you explore? Perhaps I could answer your questions and give you some more insight to _Enterprise_'s systems."

"That would be very welcome, sir."

When the lift doors opened again, the first thing Sindari saw was a confusing mass of coloured pipes, twisting and turning, filling the gigantic space from floor to ceiling and corner to corner. Or, what she could see of the room anyway. The second thing she saw was a small alien with a rock-like visage and black goggles covering his eyes. He was holding a strange tool in one hand and had a firm grip on one of the pipes as he ascended through the maze with speed that suggested an intimate knowledge of the layout of the pipes. As her and Spock stepped out of the lift, Sindari watched the small alien, wondering who he was to be down there without a Starfleet uniform and seemingly by himself. Spock followed her gaze upward and raised an eyebrow at the alien in greeting. The alien made some vague gesture and grunting noise before hurrying into the depths of the cavern-like room.

"That is Keenser. He is a companion of Lieutenant Commander Montgomery Scott, who is the Chief Engineer aboard _Enterprise_."

Sindari nodded in acknowledgement, but didn't look at the Commander behind her. Her green eyes were firmly glued ahead, peering between the pipes, watching as the dark figures of the Engineering department appeared, scampering back and forth from station to station. She clasped her hands behind her back to keep herself from touching anything as they walked and listened intently as Spock described the improvements to various delivery systems that created and maintained the ship's habitable environment. Keeping her mouth shut as she did whenever she was being taught anything, Sindari's eyes wandered back and forth, following Spock's finger as he pointed to one thing or another and then moving beyond. Whenever the Vulcan Commander paused in his explanations, Sindari would ask a question or make a comment, but more often then not the only thing that came from her lips were noises of astonishment. The _Marissa_ wasn't a very old ship, but the changes that had been made between her creation and the fabrication of the _Enterprise_ were startling. The environmental controls were much more precise and there was a greater variety of settings available, allowing for each crew member to turn their quarters into a paradise with perfect conditions, and the replicators or "food slots" as Sindari had heard them called, produced sustenance at a much higher speed than ever before; Spock demonstrated this by asking for a cup of tea, which appeared in a matter of seconds. As he handed the beverage to Sindari, she smiled, thoroughly impressed.

After the cursory tour of the deck, Spock introduced Sindari to Montgomery Scott, who turned out to be a Scottish man with a thick accent and somewhat eccentric manner; his eyes seemed permanently wide, taking in everything around him. When the Commander and Sindari found the Lieutenant Commander, he was yelling at Keenser to get down off some delicate piece of equipment that, apparently, was not meant for anyone to climb on, small as Keenser was.

"Oh, Commander Spock. What brings you down ter Engineering?" he asked, seemingly taking no notice of Sindari at the Vulcan's side.

"A tour of the ship's facilities Mister Scott." Spock gestured to Sindari before retuning his hands to their normal position, folded behind his back. "This is Junior Lieutenant Sindari Lordeck of the _U.S.S. Marissa_."

"Aye, one of the ones rescued earlier," he said, acknowledging her with a nod of his head and then shaking her proffered hand. "It's nice to meet ya, lass."

"Likewise, sir," Sindari said, smiling. Her first impression of Montgomery Scott was that she quite liked him. "This is a fascinating ship."

"Isn't she though?" He looked around him, with a wide smile on his face. He spoke of the ship with a sort of reverence and admiration Sindari had never heard used in reference to a ship before. It was clear how much he enjoyed serving on the _Enterprise_ and his enthusiasm for the vessel made Sindari grin.

_"Commander Spock to the Bridge."_

The tall Vulcan grabbed Sindari's attention with nothing more than a look. Understanding the invitation, she bade farewell to Mister Scott and then followed the Commander back out into the hallway, into the turbolift and up to the Bridge. As the doors sighed open, Sindari let out a small gasp. The Bridge was something else to behold: bright and inviting at the same time it was definitely a command centre; its white walls brought all attention to the main viewer at the front of the circular room, where a wide vista of stars as well as the writing on the front of the hull could be seen. The faces of one or two of the seated officers turned to nod to Spock as he crossed the bridge to stand in front of the empty centre chair, behind the helmsman and the navigator. Sindari recognized the navigator—the Russian—as having helped rescue them, but the helmsman was a stranger to her. The Communications officer, a slim, dark-skinned woman with wide brown eyes and dark hair pulled back into a slick ponytail, rose from her console and came to stand beside Spock, a touch of confusion on her face as she noticed Sindari at his side.

"There still hasn't been any response from the _Marissa_," she said with a brief glance at Sindari.

"You have informed the Captain, I trust."

"Of course. We're maintaining the course and repeating hails on all channels. We'll reach the ship in approximately three hours."

Sindari turned slightly in order to better look at the woman, eager for any more information pertaining to her ship. The woman returned the gaze, prompting Sindari to extend her hand again. "Junior Lieutenant Sindari Lordeck," she said.

"Lieutenant Uhura." The confusion in her face magnifying as she retuned her gaze to Spock. "I was not aware the officers rescued were permitted on the Bridge, sir."

There was a moment before Spock responded, in which he maintained a level gaze locked on Uhura. "She is with me, Lieutenant," he said calmly. "I was attempting to explain the workings of the _Enterprise_ to her when you summoned me to the Bridge. Under the circumstances, her presence is permitted on the Bridge, and as she is a Starfleet officer, I see no harm."

Uhura's lips thinned into a frustrated line. "I apologize, sir."

As the Lieutenant returned to her station, Spock turned to face Sindari, one of his pointed eyebrows arched, bringing a inquisitive air to his features. However, he asked her no question or made any indication to what he was thinking. Instead, he gestured towards the navigation panel. "Why don't you join Ensign Chekov and observe the controls? The main weapon controls are under his purview and I am sure he would be more than willing to answer any of your questions."

* * *

After a lengthy period of wandering the halls, Alianna found a recreation area on one of the lower decks, complete with a punching bag and necessary self-protection equipment. Pleased, she headed back to her quarters, committing the route to memory. She changed from the Starfleet uniform into the black pants and white tank top she had been wearing when rescued, but left the uniform-issue boots on her feet, finding them more comfortable than the sandal-like shoes she had been wearing before. And, as her small bag of possessions had been destroyed in the chaos of the kidnapping, the two pairs of footwear were all she had. Once she was changed, she made her way confidently back to the gym, which, to her pleasure, was still deserted. Ignoring the hand and foot protectors, she approached the canvas punching bag and kicked off her boots, falling instinctively into a battle-ready position.

It felt good to feel the canvas scraping against her flesh as she landed punch after heavy punch and kick after fierce kick. She enjoyed using the punching bag as opposed to any of the newer technology, as she revelled in the force exerted as the bag swung back into her hands, threatening her balance and stance. At some point in her sparring, she was aware of someone standing at the door watching her, but she paid them no mind, too focused on taking all her anger and stress and worries out on the canvas skin of the bag; too focused on the pain as the canvas skin tore at her knuckles and the tops of her feet, grating off the top layers of skin and bringing blood to the surface. Alianna thought whoever was watching her attempted to speak at one point, but she didn't pick up any of the words spoken, nor did she care. Eventually, her breaths became laboured and her attacks slowed. Sweat dripped into her eyes, stinging and drawing her attention. With her next punch thrown without her full focus, a sharp crack filled the gym and the familiar pain of a broken finger shot up her arm.

She dropped to the ground, feet stuck out in front of her and her left hand, the one with the broken finger, clutched tightly in her right. Laboured breathing turned into gasps and tears leaked out of her stubborn eyes.

"Let me see." Blinking furiously, trying to keep herself from crying, she nodded and extended her hand towards Bones. The scruffy doctor took one brief look at the digit before pulling it back into place with another resounding crack. Alianna screamed and shot her most furious glare at Leonard McCoy, who just stared back at her with a calm face. "Come with me to sickbay and I'll put a brace on it."

Alianna wiped her face with the heels of her hands and nodded. Bones helped her to her feet and they headed to the turbolift, the Starfleet boots tucked under her good arm and her bare feet echoing on the hard floor. As the lift was descending, Alianna pulled her hair out of the bun, which had become quite dishevelled in the process of beating up the punching bag, and shook out her sweaty hair until it fell down to hover around her waist. She ran her fingers of her good hand backwards through the dark locks, pushing the bangs and shorter pieces that fell around her face out of her line of vision. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in a reflective surface and realized there was something Vulcan-like in her appearance when her hair was down; her severe cheekbones adding the most to that aspect.

In sickbay, she climbed onto the nearest empty table, dropping her boots on the floor in front of her. "How long will this take to heal?"

"It'll heal fully in a month to three months—"

_"What?!"_

He hushed her with a look. "For you, it'll most likely be a shorter healing time. Just keep the splint on it for a few weeks and keep checking in for scans. I'll let you know when you can take it off."

"Oh. OK. Thanks… sir."

"You don't have to call me sir, Lordeck. We're the same rank." He fitted a metal brace onto her left forefinger and middle finger and tightened it until he drew a wince from her. "Only take it off to wash it and don't leave it off very long. That should help it heal faster. I'll give you some painkillers to deal with the pain. They should allow you to go about your life normally."

"Ha. Normal."

Bones looked at his patient with his eyebrow raised, but didn't press the issue. He slathered something over the torn skin on her knuckles and feet, which instantly took away the burn and the sting and then wrapped the wounds with gauze. She sat on the table for a moment longer before hopping off and landing harder than anyone would have thought possible on her injured feet. Bones ran his tricorder over her. "Everything is normal, aside from your adrenaline levels."

"Well of course my adrenaline is elevated, Bones." She stretched her arms upwards, her shoulders popping. "I had to get through two weeks with my parents, then I was kidnapped and tied up—which I _hate_ by the way—and I just broke my finger. Why wouldn't my adrenaline levels be elevated?"

"Just calm down, Lordeck, or you'll start to hyperventilate."

Alianna took a few, long and deep breaths, keeping her eyes on the doctor. When she had calmed down, she gestured to the doors. "Can you take me back to my quarters please, Bones? I'm not sure I can remember how to get there…" She felt stupid, especially since she'd spent the time committing the route from the recreation area back to her room to memory. But it just wasn't coming, no matter how hard she tried to recall the twists and turns. Alianna smiled sheepishly when she looked up at Bones again, but the doctor nodded. "Thank you," she whispered as her bare feet struck the black floors of the hallways again.

"Aren't your feet cold?"

Alianna laughed a bit and shook her head.

"Can I ask you a somewhat personal question Lordeck?"

"I guess."

"Where were you when the Romulan Nero attacked? There were seven Federation ships destroyed; seven ships with cadets aboard. You're the same age as the Captain. How did you and your sister survive?"

"That's not really a _personal_ question, Bones, but I will answer. You see, Captain DeFalco of the _Marissa_ had taken a group of cadets out for hands-on flying experience. Sindari and I were in the Laurentian system with the rest of the fleet, leaning the ropes." She closed her mouth tightly as she remembered. When she continued, her voice was quieter and her eyes had dropped to the floor, watching her feet slap against the shiny black floor. "I wanted to help. I asked—_begged_—Captain DeFalco to take us into the fray, but he declined. We had been ordered to stay in the system, and when we heard the reports of the devastation, he said there wasn't any point in risking the rest of the main fleet against an enemy we knew almost nothing about." She looked back up at McCoy, a small smile twitching at the corner of her mouth again. "I was jealous when I heard of the cadets on the _Enterprise_… even more so when I heard James Kirk had taken control…"

"I can just imagine your reaction. Did you break anyone's nose then?"

Alianna glared, but her mouth was still smiling. "No. I didn't. I'll have you know I'm usually quite in control of my temper."

"I'll believe that when I see it."

Alianna could have thought up several clever comebacks, but she settled for another glare as they reached her quarters. The doors hissed open and she stepped inside. "Thank you for your help _Doctor_."

When the doors had hissed closed again, the young Starfleet officer dropped onto her bed and wished she had a book to read instead of staring at the ceiling. She was getting anxious. They would be reaching the _Marissa_'s coordinates soon, and she had no way to distract herself now that she'd torn her knuckles to shreds. All the fears she'd suppressed over the last few hours were bubbling to the surface again; her breaths became laboured once more. She tried to calm herself down, but with nothing to focus on, the measured breathing wasn't working.

_"Lieutenant Commander Lordeck to the Bridge."_

She sat up and ran out of her quarters without a second thought. Her hair flew out behind her like a banner and her eyes were wide with panic and fear. There was only one reason she would be called to the Bridge on a ship that wasn't her command. They had reached the _Marissa_. The turbolift didn't rise fast enough. Her vision was blurring because she couldn't get a deep enough breath. When the hydraulic doors finally opened onto the Bridge, she stumbled out, steadying herself on the back of the command chair before she could fall down the one step. Kirk rose out of the chair and look at her, concern on his face.

"Breathe, Alianna," he said.

She took a deep breath. And then another one. Suddenly, she realized she was standing on the Bridge of the _Enterprise_, barefoot, in civilian clothes, with her sweaty hair hanging lose around her, and bloody and bandaged. She pushed the rather embarrassing thought aside. "What is it? Is it the _Marissa_? Are they OK?" she asked.

Kirk didn't say anything. He gestured for her to move forward, around the chair. As she did, Sindari appeared at her side.

The _Marissa_ hung suspended in space at full stop. There were no lights on. Nothing to indicate power or activity or life. It was eerie that a ship of that size, that had housed as many people as it had, could be so silent.

"There hasn't been any response," Kirk said from behind her. "And there are no life signs. I'm sorry."

* * *

**Author's Note… **Thank you so much for the overwhelming response to this story! It makes me so proud to know people like my stuff. (hugs for all)

I hope this chapter is better than the first and I hope it serves to explain some things about the OC protagonists and why they are the way they are. Or Alianna at least, who is clearly the more disturbed of the two. Sindari, like Shauna who co-owns the character, is the more rational and put-together of the two. And yes Shauna, I actually think that way about the two of us. For those who don't know, Shauna (Lunn Lady of Angst here on ) and I are best friends and share love of most of the same fandoms, Star Trek and Batman being at the tops of our lists. That's just a little side-note.

Watch me cleverly side-step all the techno-babble that I'm terrible at… (shifty eyes) And before anyone jumps down my throat, I decided to use the term "replicator" instead of "food slot", because, let's face it, "replicator" sounds a lot cooler and more sci-fi. At least, I think so… And I'm the author of this story so HA! Plus, they never actually make any reference to the device in the movie, so… Yeah, I'm just going to call it a replicator, m'kay?

**Next Chapter: The **_**U.S.S. Marissa**_**.**


	3. Chapter Three: The USS Marissa

I do not own Star Trek or anything to do with said franchise. However, I own Alianna Lordeck and co-own Sindari Lordeck and this plot. This fic is based on the new movie, and thus, takes place in the alternate universe of the movie. It's rated for lots of bad language and some sexual scenes (let's face it, it is Captain Kirk we're talking about), and violence and some drinking. You know, standard stuff. Should be lots of fun and I apologize in advance if any of the information about Star Trek is wrong. I've tried to do research, but hey, with eleven movies, five live-action shows and one animated show, along with multiple books and such, getting all the facts straight is kind of hard. Anyways, enjoy.

* * *

**Ain't No Rest for the Wicked  
**Chapter Three: The _U.S.S. Marissa_.

* * *

Alianna felt as if the wind had been knocked from her lungs.

_No life signs._

She knees gave out and she fell backwards, stumbling until she landed hard in the command chair, gasping for breath, trying to get enough air to fight the white points of light dancing across her vision. The empty _Marissa_ hung in front of the main viewer, looking like something from a nightmare and Alianna kept her green eyes, blinking furiously at the burning sensation spreading behind them, pinned to the floor so the sight wouldn't push her emotions out of their so carefully sealed place. As Sindari lost her footing and feel to her knees beside the chair, Alianna gasped, but the motion was lost as Spock and the young navigator both moved to her sister's aid. Kirk remained standing in front of the older sister, concern on his face. He moved forward, hand extended as if to place it on her shoulder, but at the last minute he dropped his arm to his side, reacting to the acidic look taking over the young officer's face. It had nothing to do with him, but with the brace still firmly on his nose, Kirk didn't feel it was safe to take changes with the fiery woman, especially not in the current situation.

_No life signs._

Alianna pushed herself to her feet suddenly, causing Kirk and those bridge officers who had been brave enough to venture closer to the sisters to take a step or two back from the centre chair. She looked at Kirk, unreadable emotions passing between the two of them, then, with her face set in determination, she turned smartly on her bare heel and crossed the bridge, knowing full well that Captain Kirk knew exactly what she was going to do. However, it was only as the doors of the turbolift slid closed in front of her face did Kirk start issuing orders and the formerly stoic bridge leapt into life.

_I can't leave them without saying goodbye, _she told herself as the lift rapidly descended. _I won't. I can't. _She bit her lip to muffle a sob. She wouldn't cry. Not here. _I have to see them for myself… They're my friends. My family… I __**won't**__ leave them. _Alianna inhaled sharply and looked up at the bright lights as she tried to keep the tears from falling. The Captain might have predicted her actions and ignored regulation to a point to let her go ahead, but she didn't think he understood how much of a favour he'd actually done her. Under normal circumstances, she would not have been allowed on the away team because of her professional, personal and emotional connections to the situation, but she needed to get on board the _Marissa_. Only Sindari could understand that need, but she thought Kirk might have grasped some of her urgency. In whatever case, she made a mental note amidst her suffocation of emotions to thank him later.

As the lift doors hissed open, Alianna hit the floor at a jog and made her way to the transporter room. Ignoring the looks from the transporter operators, she flicked her dark hair over her shoulders and fastened a belt equipped with a phaser and communicator. Properly armed and phaser set to stun just in case, she climbed the few stairs and settled her bare feet on the faintly glowing pad. The look she fixed the operator with would have wilted stronger men.

"Put me on the bridge," she ordered.

"I don't have the—"

"Put me on the bridge, _now_."

"Miss, I need the Captain—"

"Put me on the God damn bridge _right fucking now_."

As the familiar tingling sensation associated with beaming spread through her body, the doors hissed open and Kirk, Sindari, Spock, Bones, and the navigator—was his name Chekov?—entered the transporter room, all but Kirk and the Vulcan looking confused or alarmed. They arrived just as Alianna's form disappeared in a tornado of light.

She reappeared a second later, a sob escaping her control as her feet hit the familiar carpet of the _Marissa_'s bridge. With the inhalation of air came the cloying smell of death. It clogged her nose and coated her throat and the inside of her mouth. She pressed the back of her left hand against her nose, but she was determined to remain a soldier at least until they had officially cleared the bridge, so Alianna drew her phaser and kept it pointed in front of her. It only took a second to discern there was nothing alive on the bridge. As that thought passed, and she realized she could breathe through her mouth and not feel like she was going to throw up, the full impact of what she was seeing hit Alianna. All around her were the bodies of her crewmates—her family—still sitting in their seats, hands still on their consoles. Alianna's chest constricted with all the bottled emotions and her eyes began to burn with unshed tears as she took in their faces, and remembered: the Andorian navigator she'd only ever called Gar, who had beaten Alianna in many a drinking contest and who'd unfailingly been her supply of her favoured Andorian ale since they'd met; Eleanor, the Captain's wife and a seasoned pilot who could outmanoeuvre anyone else in Starfleet and who'd spent countless hours teaching Alianna how to be a better pilot and who'd been heartbroken with her choice to become a security officer; Tarik, the Vulcan security officer directly under Alianna and who she regretted not getting to know better; the science officer, Philip who liked to read and liked to be alone…

She was so lost in the memories that she didn't hear the arrival of the rest of the away team. As they gagged on the smell of putrefaction, Alianna reined in her emotions, but didn't turn to look at them.

Alianna's eyes and the majority of her attention was riveted on the command chair, where Captain Joseph DeFalco sat, slumped over to one side, mouth hanging open and grey eyes staring blankly out the viewer into space. A moment of complete stillness passed as the others took in what was before them and Alianna tried to process the death of the man who'd been closer to her than her own father. As the moment vanished, she closed the distance between her position and the chair and stood in front of him, like she was reporting for duty on the bridge. His body showed no outward signs of decomposition except for a lack of colour and shallowness to his cheeks and muscles chest that had not been there in life. Had the smell of beginning putrefaction not been filling the air, Alianna would have checked for a pulse. As it was, she stepped right up to the chair and took the corpse's hand in hers, ignoring the remaining effects of rigor mortis, and easily slid the ring bearing the symbol of the Starfleet Academy that he had obtained upon graduation from his hand. Alianna clenched her treasure tightly before kneeling down to stare DeFalco in the eyes.

"Goodbye, Joe…" she whispered in a voice so low only she could hear her words. Her voice caught in another sob. "I'll miss you." She hung her head, her long hair falling about her face like a curtain, concealing it from the others on the bridge and allowing a few tears to fall from her eyes. Swallowing another sob and the instinctual disgust at what she was about to do, she pressed her lips briefly to the man's forehead before sliding his lids closed over formally warm and inviting eyes. "I'm sorry," she breathed. Pocketing the ring, Alianna rose to her feet, closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her mouth, trying to gather herself together before she faced the others.

"Ali…" Sindari's hand appeared in her sister's and squeezed gently.

The older woman returned the gesture before dropping the contact and turning to face the other members of the hastily thrown together away team. Kirk, ignoring regulation himself and coming on the away mission instead of his first officer, was standing behind the sisters, his phaser hanging at his side and his attention completely on the women in front of him. Obviously he had left Spock in command of the _Enterprise_. There was a look of concern mixed with confusion on his face, as if he didn't know whether to be more worried about what had happened on the _Marissa_ or about Alianna and her sister. Behind him, Bones was busy scanning the body of Gar, his eyes glued to the tricorder in his hand, and Chekov was standing in front of the navigation console, accessing the ship's various systems and proving his adeptness at reading screens upside down. One by one, the systems that had previous been offline whirred back to life as the Russian's fingers moved deftly across the touchscreen. As light fell on the bridge, the scene only became more horrifying, but Alianna didn't allow herself to see it anymore. She kept her eyes on the Captain.

"Life support was the only system left online, Keptin," Chekov said as his eyes zipped back and forth across the screen. "Ewerything else was shut down almost sewenty-two hours ago."

"As far as I can estimate, that was the time of death. For everyone on the bridge at least."

Kirk nodded. "Get as much information as you can. I'll include it all in the report." He lifted the communicator from his belt and flipped it open at the same time he returned the phaser to its holster with his other hand. "_Enterprise, _this is Kirk. Find and contact the nearest space station. Alert them to our arrival and inform them of the situation. Then alert Starfleet so the necessary arrangements can be made."

_"Yes Captain."_

He returned the device to his belt and once again turned his attention to the Lordeck sisters. "Have you seen everything you need to?" he asked. His voice was quiet and Alianna found more deeply grateful to him than she had been to anyone in a long time. She knew Sindari felt the same.

"With your permission, I would like to head to my quarters and collect my things, sir, as everything I had with me on the shuttle was lost," Alianna said, more than surprised at how calm her voice was.

Kirk deliberated for a moment. "Chekov, you are positive there were no life signs on board?" With the young Russian's confirmation, he nodded his consent to Alianna. "Be careful. We don't know what they—whoever _they_ are—could have left lying around the ship." His blue eyes roamed about the bridge for a moment. "It doesn't look as if whoever did this hung around long, however since life support was left online, it's safe to assume they did beam aboard." Kirk looked at Sindari for a moment, bringing her into the conversation, but then returned his gaze to Alianna. "You two have twenty minutes to gather everything you need. I'm coming with you," he added, almost as an afterthought.

The three of them crossed the bridge to the turbolift where Alianna pushed herself as far into the back of the circular car as she could, titling her head to hide her face with her hair again. The silence that filled the lift was tense and slightly awkward, and no one took steps to break it. Alianna wrapped her arms around herself and tried to stem the shivers that seemed to have come on so suddenly. Sindari came to her side and, in spite of her own pain, she hugged Alianna tightly as she cried softly into her older sister's shoulder. Feeling as if he was intruding on a very personal moment, Kirk kept his eyes forward. After the turbolift had descended to the deck where the girls' quarters were located, Alianna broke away from her sister and stepped off the lift first, leading the way through the hallways which were, mercifully, relatively stink-free. At the appropriate intersection of the Excelsior-class ship, Sindari headed left while Alianna went to the right, feeling odd and empty as she stepped through the doors and stood facing what was now her past. Alianna was aware of Kirk following her, but didn't pay him much mind. He probably felt she was the more volatile one and wanted to make sure there were no more flares in her temper; judging by the tightness in her chest, he was probably in the right frame of mind. When he entered her room, he stood just inside the range of the doors' sensors and watched her. For a long time, Alianna stood still as well, low and strangled sobs the only indication that she was still conscious.

"I'm sorry," Kirk said quietly. "You can cry if you want. I promise I won't tell anyone you're human."

Alianna sobbed once, and in spite of everything she was feeling and that had happened, she laughed. Then, for the first time in a long time, she cried tears of sorrow and she trusted someone other than her sister with her emotions.

When her tears had subsided enough for her to traverse the room without killing herself, Alianna grabbed her large duffle bag from the closet. She dropped it on the bed and started throwing crumbled balls of civilian clothing into the bottom of the empty bag. On top of the clothes she barely wore she started placing her much cared for models of various starships she'd collected her whole life. She stopped as her fingers found the model of the _Marissa_.

"Can I ask why you seem so attached to this ship?"

Alianna looked at Kirk, her eyes rimmed in red and her cheeks shimmering with the remnants of her tears. "You could ask, but we don't have the time for me to explain everything. Not here anyway." When he raised a questioning eyebrow, she said, "You only gave us twenty minutes, sir. Most of that time is gone." The whole time she spoke, her voice was quiet and controlled. Not like her at all.

She returned to her packing, her eyes lingering only a second longer on the _Marissa_ model. Alianna folded her Starfleet uniforms—the dresses, the shirts and pants and the dress uniforms—neatly on top of the ship models and then stuffed the side pouches of the duffel bag with everything else she wished to retain: her hairbrush and other hygiene items, her jewellery, makeup and many pairs of hair sticks went in one pocket while her many data PADDs containing her well-read novels, security, tactical and piloting manuals and personal logs went in the other. In a pocket on the front of the bag, she carefully tucked three framed photographs. One was of her and Sindari when they were children, one was of the group of pilots DeFalco had trained at Starfleet, and the last was of Alianna and Joseph. She slung the bag over her shoulder, adjusted it and then, after a final sweep of the room and a moment of deliberation, she scooped the blue, black and purple quilt from her bed and wrapped it around her arms.

"Ready?"

Alianna nodded at Kirk, her mouth open and a fresh round of tears bubbling over. She turned and looked around the room that used to be hers once more and then faced the Captain again, failing to control her emotions and wanting nothing more right then to do just that. _I don't want to leave_, she realized with a pang. _I don't want to leave this ship… They can't be dead. _She sobbed loudly, more tears falling. _They can't be dead. This is all a dream… _"It's a dream…" she breathed. "A dream… He can't be dead…" All remaining traces of calm vanished in that moment. She dropped the blanket and the bag, her hand fumbling for her phaser. "He can't be dead! This is a dream! A DREAM!" Her room swam before her as more tears poured from her eyes and her fingers continued to grope for the metal weapon.

"Alianna!" Kirk ran forward and grabbed her wrists and pulled her around to face him. She resisted, pulling backwards with all the strength she could muster and throwing her weight from side to side, her dark hair sticking to her wet cheeks and lips. "_Alianna!"_ he yelled. Her struggling weakened and her body began to shake. Kirk pulled her closer, putting his face close to hers. "Alianna," he said, finally drawing her attention. Her green eyes, swollen and rimmed with red, were wide and full of fear, sadness and something that looked like guilt. There was a split in her bottom lip where she'd bitten down too hard in her attempt to keep her emotions private. A trickle of blood ran down her chin. If Kirk didn't know better, he would have thought that this woman was a completely separate person from the Alianna who had, only hours ago, broken his nose. "Let's go back to the _Enterprise_," he whispered. "You need rest." She nodded and stopped struggling all together, her hands hanging limp as Kirk still held her bandaged wrists. Realizing he must be hurting her, he dropped her arms and walked over to where she'd dropped her bag. He took the burden on his own strong shoulders before handing her the quilt.

As they re-entered the hall, Alianna seemed to return to her normal self. She wrapped the blanket around her shoulders and looked apologetically up at the young Captain. "I'm… sorry for that. Thank you."

Kirk only nodded.

An hour or so later, the _Marissa_ was being towed safely behind the _Enterprise_ and the proper authorities alerted to the situation at hand. Bones was busy in sickbay going over his data and trying to figure out some lead as to what happened on the Excelsior-class ship. Sindari was asleep in her quarters, her own rather excessive wardrobe in place in her closet, the pictures of her parents, sister and friends from the Academy and Andoria displayed proudly on her shelves beside a copious collection of music and books. A toy phaser sat on the table by her bed as well as a bright green stuffed turtle named Turtle. As Alianna had helped her unpack upon their return from the _Marissa_, she'd marvelled at the amount of stuff Sindari had. Alianna hadn't bothered to unpack her things. The bag sat on her bed, open but still containing everything except the clothes she'd changed into after a longer-than-necessary sonic shower. Now, Alianna was sitting on the couch in Kirk's sitting room, preparing herself to tell the Captain why the loss of the _Marissa _had hit her so hard. Her hair had been returned to its usual smooth bun at the back of her head, complete with silver hair sticks and she was wearing her favoured black pants and white shirt, but she had added a blue sweater and the quilt was wrapped around her shoulders in an attempt to ward off the cold that had settled in her marrow. Her feet were once again bare, but this time it was because she had curled into a ball in the corner of the couch and she hadn't thought the soles of her Starfleet boots would be welcome on the white cushions; the boots lay forgotten on the floor.

"Here," Kirk said, returning from his bedroom with two glasses in his hands. Alianna's eyes widened slightly when she saw the bright blue liquor sloshing in the bottom on the square-bottom glasses and the bottle tucked under Kirk's arm. "Since you grew up on Andoria," he offered simply as he handed her one of the glasses.

"Thanks," she mumbled. Alianna took a long drink from the glass, draining half of it in one go.

"And she's no slouch."

The barest hint of a smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth, the only bit of her normal fire present. "I learned from the best… Gar, that Andorian on the… the ship. He was a good friend." She drained the rest of the drink in another long gulp, savouring the brief surge of warmth that followed. It was a sensation gone by the time she placed the empty glass on the table. "They were all good friends… They were… my family."

Kirk nodded. "But there's something else, isn't there?"

Alianna raised an eyebrow in a very Vulcan-like way as Kirk tipped the bottle and refilled her glass. "And what makes you think that?" she snapped.

"Sindari served with the same crew on the same ship almost as long as you did. And yet, she can sleep. She's not attempting to kill herself. And while I'm sure she's not as emotional as you on the best of days, it's not as if she hasn't cried over their deaths. What is it that cut you so deeply?"

_How do I start explaining? _She drew the corner of her bottom lip between her teeth as she searched for a beginning. "Joseph DeFalco was a friend of my parents," she said. "He and my father had known each other since they were little, and he used to come and visit us all the time. He'd bring me models of starships and tell me about his adventures." A small smile danced across her lips as her mind wandered away from the horror being towed along behind them. Alianna turned and looked out the window, at the stars. Her eyes started to burn, but she found herself once again capable of swallowing the lump in her throat and continuing her story, even if her voice was a little hoarse. "Thanks to his influence, I wanted to enlist in Starfleet from the time I was six. But my parents wouldn't hear of it. They wanted Sindari and me to become politicians. I was supposed to take over the position of ambassador and Sindari was supposed to enter into the Andorian government or something." She sighed shakily and brushed a stray lock of hair out of her face. "I didn't want any of that so I concentrated on learning about Starfleet and the Federation and starships and everything I thought I might need to know to get into the Academy. Joe started bringing me books about Starfleet and telling me about his time at the Academy and instructing me in the basics. My parents got very angry with him very quickly. They said he was 'infesting my mind with ideas improper for a young girl'." Alianna turned and looked at Kirk. "They severed all contact with him. Said he wasn't welcome anymore. He took it like the good-hearted man he was and stayed out of what he considered family business."

"Did you want more to drink?"

She nodded absently, her eyes turning back out the window; she didn't remember having emptied her glass, but she had. The ship whirred around her in the silence, the only other noise the sound of liquid hitting glass. Alianna wasn't completely sure why she was telling Kirk everything about her connection to the _Marissa_, other than she felt she owed him something for all he'd done for her and Sindari in the past twenty-four hours and she trusted him. She knew of Kirk and his missions and she trusted him. There was also the slim chance something in her story might help find who had murdered all of the crew.

Kirk placed the refilled drink in her hands. She nursed her third glass of the ale slower, not needing the headache she knew she'd get if she drank another glass too quickly. The Captain resumed his former position of lounging low in the cushions at the other end of the couch with his feet stretched out across the table, and for several long minutes, the two of them sat and sipped their Andoria ale in silence, both surprised at the comfort they found in the situation. Eventually, Alianna turned her green eyes back to the Captain and, with a subtle shift in posture, indicated she was ready to start speaking again.

"As you can probably guess from what I've already said, I was miserable towards my parents and ignored every lesson or instruction pertaining to politics. When I was sixteen, the _Marissa_ entered Andoria's orbit and I seized the only chance I could see to get the future I wanted."

"Let me guess—you contacted Captain DeFalco and got him to beam you aboard."

Another glint of her normal fire broke through the melancholy. "Nothing quite that smooth. I snuck into the cargo hold of a supply vessel bound for the _Marissa_ and hid in a crate full of mechanical parts of some kind. When the crate had stopped moving, I waited for as long as I could and then I climbed out." One corner of her mouth lifted in a grin she wasn't aware of. "I was immediately detected of course and brought to the bridge. When Joe saw it was me, he was furious at first and intent on taking me back to my parents. They wouldn't take his calls though and I refused to leave, so he contented himself with continuing to try and contact my parents while listening to my grandiose explanations of what had happened and why he had to let me stay on the _Marissa_—"

The notes announcing someone's presence at the door sounded, breaking the bubble which seemed to have formed in the room, around the two Starfleet officers.

"Enter," Kirk said, pulling himself off the couch.

The doors hissed open, admitting Commander Spock and Lieutenant Commander McCoy. Alianna shifted into a more upright position and nodded in greeting as she pulled the quilt tighter around her shoulders; the look on Bones' face didn't bode well.

"Jim," Bones said after acknowledging his fast friend's presence, his tone invoking immediately the importance of what the doctor was about to say. "You wanted a report as soon as I'd finished going over my collected data from the _Marissa_…" He paused and inhaled a deep breath, once again looking at Alianna, knowing without a doubt that she wanted to hear this information as much as or more so the Captain. "As far as I could tell, everyone on board died at exactly the same time, in exactly the same way. The problem is I can't tell what that way is. None of the crew members I scanned bore any outward or inward signs of trauma and there are no indications of… well, anything. It seems they just… died."

"I'm afraid the same report applies to the external and internal scans of the ship," Spock informed Kirk, who was now standing in front of the table. He too, acknowledged Alianna's presence, but he spoke only to the Captain. "There are no traces of any known weapons nor are there any traces of any known races on the bridge. Indeed, there are no traces of anyone beyond the crew. I took the liberty of personally inspecting and interpreting Mister Chekov's scans of the ship's systems as well as the information he downloaded from the computers." There was only the briefest of pauses as Spock allowed the information he had just divulged to settle it. "I have a crew scanning the rest of the ship, looking for anything that will be of use to us. As it stands, Jim, we have no idea what happened to the crew of the _Marissa_, nor do we know who is behind it or why they murdered the inhabitants of the ship, all nine hundred and forty-two of them, including civilians."

Alianna sunk back into her former position on the couch with her face pointed out at the stars, even though she wasn't seeing any of them. She heard Kirk say something to Bones and Spock, but she was no longer paying attention to their exchange. She had heard everything she needed to. The tightness in her chest was back and this time it was accompanied by anger she wasn't keen on keeping inside. She wanted to know who was to blame for the murder of her family and she had been hoping to have that information immediately. Even though she knew it had been a ridiculous notion, she had hoped to get something, _anything, _which would make her feel better. Apparently she was not so lucky. She drained her third glass of Andorian ale and huddled deeper within her quilt, unaware of Kirk returning to his seat a few feet away from her.

"Did Captain DeFalco let you stay on the ship?"

She jumped, startled. "You want me to finish my story?"

"I don't see any reason why you shouldn't."

For a moment, Alianna considered yelling at the Captain. Her eyes narrowed and her mouth opened a fraction, but as the beginning of her tirade vibrated in her throat, she shut her mouth tightly and looked out the window again. There was something in Kirk's face that took the fire out of her at that time. "I'll continue if you wish, _sir_." Her voice became mechanic. "Joe let me stay on the _Marissa_ while he vainly tried to contact my parents. Eventually, he gave up and I lived on the ship, exploring and learning as much as I could. After a while, Sindari managed to contact the ship and she begged me to come home, but I said no." She sighed. "The _Marissa_ didn't come within transporter range of Earth until I was twenty-two, but as I had already completed my aptitude and admission tests, they let me into Starfleet right away."

"I don't remember you from the Academy."

Feeling a little less angry, Alianna managed a smile. "Well, I remember _you_."

* * *

The first thing Sindari did when she awoke was hit her head on the wall.

Rubbing her cranium, she sat up in bed and brought the lights up, illuminating the room with dim bluish light. _Damn it_, she cursed, blinking. _That hurt. _She rose to her feet and looked at the clock. She'd been asleep for seven hours. This meant, if they were on Earth or anywhere with a similar night-day cycle, it would be around mid-morning. The twenty-four year old officer yawned and stretched upwards, groaning as something in her back popped audibly. After a quick shower, she changed into the black Starfleet dress, feeling it wouldn't be appropriate to wear her actual uniform yet as she had not been transferred to anyone else's command and was still technically on shore leave, and headed into the strangely quiet hall. Judging by the hour, most of the crew were either in their quarters, the mess hall or at their duty stations; something in her pined for her console, for her duty schedule. She sighed as she realized it would probably be a while until she was returned to any normalcy. Even though she knew it had happened, the journey to the _Marissa_ the night before seemed nothing more than a dream. The bodies of her crewmates seemed nothing more than spectres. She couldn't go back there. She had to move forward.

Sindari wandered the halls with her hands clasped behind her back, keeping her eyes on the floor and paying no attention to where she was going. Only when the hissing doors of a turbolift sounded in front of her, did she look up. The doctor, who everyone seemed to call Bones, was standing directly in front of her. Knowing her sister had become fast friends, she ventured a question. "Lieutenant Commander McCoy, have you seen my sister?"

"Not since last night, Sindari. And call me Bones. Have you asked the computer to locate her?"

Feeling infinitely stupid, Sindari shook her head. "It's not important that I find her right away. I just wanted to see how she was doing. Captain DeFalco was more her father than our actual father." She smiled and tucked some of her reddish hair behind her ear. "You've seen her temper. You can imagine why I'm worried." As the doctor nodded, another thought dawned on Sindari. "Have there been any conclusions reached about the attack?" she asked without much hope.

"Other than we have no idea what happened, no."

Sindari sighed. "What's next?"

"We keep scanning the ship and the bodies to see if we can come up with any leads. We're taking the _Marissa _to a science-based station, so if we don't come up with anything, they might."

"How long until we reach the station?"

"Three days."

"And I assume we're keeping an eye out for any signs of suspicious or hostile activity just in case the criminals are in the area?"

"Of course. Although, if you want the details on that particular operation, you're better off asking Spock. He's on the bridge."

"Thank you… Bones."

The doctor nodded before continuing his trek. Sindari stepped into the still-open turbolift and pressed the button for the bridge. As she was rising rapidly, a thought occurred. What if she wasn't allowed on the bridge? Sure, she had been before, when it had seemed appropriate. But now that they'd found the _Marissa_, why would they let someone not part of the crew on the bridge? Deciding it was worth taking a chance, and that the worst thing the Captain could say was no, Sindari exited the turbolift. She paused to check that her reflection was suitable and then strode confidently onto the bridge, stopping in front of the command chair, where she could look the Captain in the eye.

"I was wondering if I might be of any help, sir."

"Why don't you take a seat next to Chekov, Miss Lordeck, and continue to familiarize yourself with our weapons systems."

"Aye, Captain."

As Sindari took up the seat she'd occupied the day before, the officer standing behind Kirk and to the right caught her eye. It wasn't the young man who'd been on the bridge the day before. It was Alianna. She was wearing the pants and red shirt of her Starfleet uniform and standing behind what was unmistakably the security console. There was a faraway look to her face—one that Sindari was quite familiar with—and she hadn't acknowledged her sister yet, nor did it look like she would. For a moment, Sindari could have sworn they were back on the _Marissa_. Alianna looked just as at home in her current position as she had on the larger ship.

"Miss Lordeck? Would you like to see the weapons interface again?" Chekov asked from beside her.

"What? Oh, yes. Please."

* * *

**Author's Note… **Just for the record, it has been decided that this takes place about a year and a half after the movie. So Kirk is twenty-six and Chekov is eighteen. And since those are the only characters we ever find out the ages of in the movie, you'll have to make up ages for the rest of them.

I have now seen _Star Trek_ five times in theatres. In case you were wondering, I'm going for six, which is as many times as I saw _The Dark Knight_, which is my other favourite movie. For me, _Star Trek _was as good as _The Dark Knight_, so to physically demonstrate the awesomeness of both movies, I am going to see them an equal number of times in theatres. This is only a physical representation because I keep all my movie tickets in a little book. Yes, I am just that weird.

The amount of stuff that Sindari and Alianna have is opposite of reality. I actually have like twice as much crap as Shauna. (laughs)

**Next Chapter: What The Hell Happened? **


	4. Chapter Four: What the Hell Happened?

I do not own Star Trek or anything to do with said franchise. However, I own Alianna Lordeck and co-own Sindari Lordeck and this plot. This fic is based on the new movie, and thus, takes place in the alternate universe of the movie. It's rated for lots of bad language and some sexual scenes (let's face it, it is Captain Kirk we're talking about), and violence and some drinking. You know, standard stuff. Should be lots of fun and I apologize in advance if any of the information about Star Trek is wrong. I've tried to do research, but hey, with eleven movies, five live-action shows and one animated show, along with multiple books and such, getting all the facts straight is kind of hard. Anyways, enjoy.

* * *

**Ain't No Rest for the Wicked  
**Chapter Four: What the Hell Happened?

* * *

"I'm here to relieve you, sir."

"Oh?" Alianna's right eyebrow rose towards her hairline. She caught Sindari's reprimanding look over the ensign's shoulder and sighed, biting back the reply on the tip of her tongue. She looked down her nose at the red-shirted, eager ensign whose name she couldn't seem to remember. Not that she was putting much effort into remembering much of anything outside the functions of the _Enterprise_ and how to use her console at the moment. Her thoughts were still mostly with the crew of the _Marissa_ and she had a feeling they would be for a while yet to come, even if she wasn't keen on keeping them there. But the ensign didn't need to know that. _No one _needed to know that, not even Sindari, although she'd probably already figured it out. So, Alianna screwed her face up into a suitable expression of annoyance, nodded once, curtly, and stepped out from behind her console. As the ensign situated himself in her place, Alianna threw a contemptuous glance at nothing in particular and crossed the bridge to the turbolift.

She didn't want to be relieved of duty.

Not that that was something unusual for someone so into her career, but that desire had been especially potent lately. For the past two and a half days, as the _Enterprise _pulled the _Marissa _towards the nearest starbase, Alianna had thrown herself into her duty shifts on the bridge and she'd loved every minute of it. Not only did working keep her mind off the loss of her family, but it made her feel more like herself, more secure. Crying wasn't something Alianna did often, and she'd done more than enough of it lately to last a lifetime. Paying full attention to the chorus of beeps that filled the bridge atmosphere restored her to Alianna Lordeck, Lieutenant Commander of Starfleet. She was the unstoppable force she had made herself into. Not the young woman who spent hours crying over people passed. Alianna didn't like being that woman. She didn't like feeling weak; she wasn't weak. But she felt weak when she was away from the bridge. When she was away from the bridge, she couldn't keep her mind occupied. When she was away from the bridge, she was alone. When that happened, her thoughts wandered and she cried. And she was determined not to shed another tear over the lost crew of her old ship. Not for the remainder of this journey. At the very least.

But like the ensign, no one aboard the _U.S.S. Enterprise_, the flagship of the United Federation of Planets, no one needed to know that. No one needed to know what was really running through her head. What was really behind her glares and snapped orders.

As the turbolift stopped and the doors slid open, Alianna huffed and clasped her hands at the small of her back, preparing her demeanour to walk down the hall. She may not have enjoyed feeling weak, but the truth was, it was there, and she would have to deal with it, however she chose to do that. She passed no one, as was often the case, but she retained the persona until the doors to her room had hissed shut behind her and she was alone. Once locked in the privacy of her quarters, her shoulders dropped and her hands unclasped. She kicked off her Starfleet boots and changed quickly into the oversized shirt and baggy, knee-length pants that she slept in, leaving her uniform in a pile on the floor. It had to be washed anyway.

She flopped unceremoniously down on her bed and fished a data PADD out of the drawer in her bedside table. Whenever she wasn't on the bridge and she was sick of crying, Alianna had scoured the databases and downloaded every file containing anything about unknown attacks on Federation ships. Of course, there were experienced research teams doing the exact same thing, but Alianna thought the more pairs of eyes looking over the data, the less likely something would be missed. So far though, none of the unsolved attacks appeared to have any connection to the attack on the _Marissa_. It seemed there had been no attacks in recent Federation history where the method of death had been undeterminable. Alianna skimmed through reports she'd already read, searching in vain for that piece of information that would break the case. If it was there to find…

"This is _useless_," she huffed, throwing the PADD into the wall. The device _thunked _against the wall before falling to the floor, undamaged. Alianna sighed and rolled onto her back, staring once again at the familiar ceiling. What was Starfleet going to do about this? How were they going to figure out what had happened? What the _hell _had happened? She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes and groaned loudly. Her eyes began to burn again, bringing another noise of annoyance to her lips. As the tears began to fall, Alianna realized how drained she was beginning to feel; how empty. She tried to stop herself from crying, but found the task impossible. "This is ridiculous!" she barked, rubbing roughly at her face.

The chime sounded and Alianna shot a dangerous look towards the door. "Ali? It's me," Sindari said after a moment of silence from her sister. "Are you awake?" Her voice was quiet but strong. Many people were intimidated by Alianna, but Sindari wasn't one of them.

Alianna kept her mouth firmly closed.

"OK, Ali, this is stupid. I know you're in there and I know you're awake, listening to me talk. Regardless of how pissed off you are, let me in. Let _someone _in, damn it! You don't have to grieve alone!"

The older of the sisters maintained her stubborn countenance for another moment before she sighed and consented, letting Sindari enter. As the redhead settled herself in the chair in the corner, Alianna realized her sister looked harried and worn out, much like Alianna felt inside. Her hair was slightly ruffled on one side and her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy as if she'd been crying. With a pang and a rush of shame, Alianna moved to hug her sister. She'd been an idiot, wrapped only in her own pain. She'd forgotten there was someone else onboard the _Enterprise _who had been almost as devastated by the attack; she'd forgotten that Sindari would have been affected by Alianna's pain as well as her own. She hugged her sister tighter.

"I'm sorry," she gasped, knowing her sister would pick up everything she thought and felt but didn't say.

Sindari wrapped her arms around her sister and pressed her face into Alianna's shoulder. "Well, it's not like I expected anything else, Ali. You _are _you after all." The sisters laughed quietly. "You always withdraw into yourself when you're upset and this is a big, terrible thing, so it was logical to think you would withdraw farther. But I am here for you. I know you likely won't take advantage of my awesome abilities as a counsellor, but don't forget it, OK?"

Skipping over the sentimental stuff that she wasn't very good with, Alianna jumped right to the first sarcastic comment she could think of. "Logical? I think you've been spending too much time listening to Mister Spock." Alianna sniffed back her tears and smiled at Sindari. She brushed some hair from her sister's brow, pushing it back behind her ear, and looked at her for a moment. The brace on her finger caught a few of the hairs and she gently pulled it free. It was as close to sentimental and emotional as she ever got: brief looks and gestures. "So did you just come to check up on me and my fading sanity or was there something else that prompted this visit?" she asked when the moment had passed.

"We're an hour away from the science station," Sindari said. "I just asked."

Alianna nodded and pushed herself to her feet. She made one slow circuit of her quarters, going so far as to walk up and over her bed to do so. Sindari watched without saying a word. When Alianna settled on the corner of her bed, she looked contemplative. "Are we staying at the science station?"

"I don't know. I'd assume so. The Captain has to give his reports and they'll probably want to talk to us—"

"That doesn't mean the _Enterprise_ will stay. We're not technically part of the crew. They can leave us there."

"OK, well still."

Alianna flopped back on the bed. She was itching to get on the path of whoever had attacked the _Marissa_. She knew it was more than likely that Captain Kirk would decide to leave her and Sindari on the science station to help however they could or just to keep them out of the way—_Let's face it, I haven't displayed the best emotional control_—but she hoped that he wouldn't. She hoped Kirk would see the need Alianna had to be there when they found out what had happened to her shipmates. And if Alianna stayed, Sindari would have to stay too. Sindari smiled at her sister when Alianna sat back up. Always the optimist. "Well, if we're almost at the science station, I'd better get changed. I don't think it would be a good idea to do this in my pyjamas."

"Probably not." Sindari got up and stood in front of the doors, sighing with them as they opened. "We will find them Ali."

"I know."

As her sister disappeared, Alianna went to her closet and fished out one of her clean uniforms. She changed into the black pants and undershirt; because they fit better than the slightly baggy ones the men wore, she wore one of the short-sleeved women's undershirts. As she pulled the red tunic over her head and felt it ruffle her already messy hair, she bit back a sob. This time, the emotions weren't for Jonathon DeFalco. However pathetic it made her feel, the sob was for her and the chance that she might get left behind.

Dressed with Starfleet badge pinned to her chest where it should be, Alianna left her quarters and decided to go visit the other refugees from the shuttlecraft. For them, there was no question they would be left on the science station, out of harm's way. Alianna felt it was her duty to check up on them.

* * *

Sindari sunk as far as she could into the chair in the dining hall. She was sitting in the corner, away from everyone else, sipping some drink someone had recommended to her and that she'd got from the replicator. Currently, she was staring at the drink instead of actually drinking it, but no one was paying attention to her anyway, so no one noticed the weird behaviour. And it wasn't that weird anyway. Sindari wasn't used to being left alone—being the weapons officer on the _Marissa_ had often warranted off-duty work—but she appreciated being a relative unknown to the crew of the _Enterprise_ as, at that moment, she didn't want to speak to anyone. Even talking to her sister a little while ago had been a chore, just because Sindari didn't want to talk. When she got like that, Alianna's stubbornness seemed tenfold. She hadn't been surprised at Alianna's desire to want to run off and find the bad guy—hell, Sindari couldn't wait to catch up with whoever had done this so she could really express her anger and hurt—but she _had _been surprised at the sound of Alianna's voice when she spoke of being left on the science station: the tone suggested that being left behind would have been the worst thing that could have happened right then.

"Are you feeling all right Sindari? You're looking a little feverish."

Startled by the sudden company, Sindari's head snapped up. When her green eyes found Bones standing there however, she calmed down and settled back into her chair. "Yeah, I'm fine, Commander. Just tired. And frustrated."

Bones sat down across from her, his own drink wrapped in one hand. "Understandable."

"Do you think the Captain will leave Alianna and me on the science station?"

The sudden change of topic caught the doctor off guard, but only for a moment. He quickly recovered. "I don't recall giving you permission to speak freely, Lieutenant." When she opened her mouth to apologize and ask properly, he waved her off. "While that would be the course of action for most Starfleet captains, Jim isn't like most captains, so it's hard to say what he'll decide." He paused, took a drink from his glass. "If I was to hazard a guess, I'd say he'd be more inclined to let you and you sister stay on board the _Enterprise_."

Sindari sighed and her shoulders sagged, as if a great weight had been lifted. That source of stress was gone. At least, most likely. "That's good," she breathed. "If we had been left, I think Ali might have exploded."

Bones laughed. "I wouldn't put it past her."

The younger Lordeck's face split in a wide grin. It felt good to smile. She even laughed a bit. When the moment had passed, she smiled at Bones. "I haven't laughed in a while." After another moment and a few more sips of her drink, Sindari asked, "So, do you have any theories as to what happened?"

"None at all. Yet. I'm working on a more thorough analysis of my readings, but whatever happened to the crew of the _Marissa_ is something I've never seen before. And there's nothing even similar in the databases to go off. As far as I can tell, nothing like this has ever happened before." McCoy's face turned pensive as he stared at the liquid in his glass. It was quite obvious he didn't like being without a lead. "I wish there was something else I could tell you, Lieutenant."

"Call me Sindari, please."

"Not one for formalities?"

"Not when I'm just talking to people, no. It makes things seem so much less… candid, I guess."

"That's an interesting way of putting it." The doctor finished his drink and plunked the glass down on the table. The thoughtful look hadn't left his face.

"This is going to drive you nuts until you figure it out, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"I can do some deeper research into weapons if that'll help at all," Sindari offered. Bones' eyebrows rose, but whether he was impressed with her offer or questioning her capabilities, she wasn't sure. Regardless, she smiled and continued speaking. "I _am _a weapons specialist after all. _And _I'm particularly interested in weapons other species have developed. I might be able to find record of something capable of killing without a trace." She sniffed back sudden tears before they could fall and tired not to think of the _Marissa_. "Or something similar."

"Well, any help would be much appreciated."

_"Commander McCoy and Lieutenant Lordeck to the bridge." _

* * *

Alianna spent close to forty-five minutes sitting with the civilians rescued from the shuttlecraft. They had all had their injuries tended to and were relatively comfortable. The _Enterprise_ wasn't as large as the _Marissa _had been and it wasn't fitted to house so many civilians, but one of the cargo bays had been emptied and restocked with whatever the civilians needed. When Alianna had entered the cargo bay, she had been surprised to have so many of them thanking her for fighting for them when their shuttle had been captured by Orions.

"But, we were still captured," she stammered to the Andorian man whose antenna she'd landed on. The appendage was still slightly bruised and he was holding it at a small angle. He'd given his name as Ras, but that was just to accommodate her human mouth, which found pronouncing full Andoria names quite difficult.

"Yes, but you and your sister still fought to protect us, and that effort is greatly appreciated," Ras said.

The other civilians—a mixture of Andorian, human and several other races, all people who had been visiting Andoria or brought there to garner passage to the _Marissa_—all nodded. A young human girl ran over and wrapped her arms around Alianna's knees. Startled, the Starfleet officer reached down and gently patted the girl's head, unsure of what else to do. After accepting their thanks, however reluctantly, and making sure they were OK and had everything they needed one last time, Alianna left the cargo bay, feeling marginally less upset than she had before.

_"Commander Lordeck to the bridge."_

She sighed and turned on her heel, heading for the turbolift. On the bridge, she found Captain Kirk standing in front of the main viewer, facing the image of a older woman with curly brown hair, streaked with grey. She must be the director of the science station orbiting the planet along with the _Enterprise _and the _Marissa. _At Kirk's left stood Commanders Spock and McCoy, and Sindari. Alianna strode confidently across the bridge and took up position on Kirk's right, clasping her hands behind her back, at ease. Kirk turned to look at her, the corner of his mouth that was hidden from the screen pulling up in a small grin. Sindari and Bones also turned to look at her, but Spock's face remained resolutely forward, facing the woman on the viewer.

"Doctor Peters, this is Lieutenant Commander Alianna Lordeck," Kirk said as he turned back to the screen.

_"It is nice to meet you Commander Lordeck. I just wish it was under different circumstances." _The woman's kindly face turned sad. _"I am sorry for your terrible loss. I hope we can do something to bring you and your sister some closure." _When it became apparent that Alianna's nod was the only answer she was going to get, Doctor Peters continued. _"Captain, our tractor beam is ready to guide the _Marissa _into the dock, whenever you are ready to release her. As soon as the ship is in place, you and your crew may beam over. We may only be a science station, but we do have some comforts, and I am sure a temporary shore leave would be welcome." _

"As am I, Doctor. Hail us when you're ready for us to beam over."

As the image faded from the viewer, Kirk turned to face Chekov. "When the station has hold of the ship, disengage our tractor beam, but be prepared to reengage if something goes wrong with their system."

"Aye sir."

"Bones," he said turning to face the doctor. "Collect all the information gathered from the _Marissa_ and transfer it to the station's computer. They'll need everything possible."

"Already done Jim."

"Good work." The Captain paused, as if thinking his next words over. "Maintain standard orbit then Mister Sulu. Sindari, Alianna, Bones and Mister Chekov, you're with me. We'll beam over first."

The mentioned party followed Kirk from the bridge and into the turbolift where they descended to the main transporter room and assembled on the pad. Alianna stood at the very back, staring straight ahead in silence. She was trying to gather herself together in order to answer any questions the doctor and her scientists had. While she wasn't known for keeping her temper in check, she didn't really want to yell at the scientists for just asking questions, regardless of how sensitive the subject matter was. She sighed heavily, and Kirk, who was standing at the front of the pad, turned to look at her. Alianna just shrugged in reply and thankfully, the Captain turned back around. Noticing the interaction, Sindari turned around too, but before she could say or do anything, Alianna gestured for her to turn around. As she stood there waiting for the hail from the station and thinking about the inquisition to come, a familiar surliness bubbled up in her chest.

_"Captain Kirk," _came Uhura's voice over the intercom system, _"we have received the ready hail from Doctor Peters."_

"Thank you Lieutenant." Kirk's attention turned to the transporter operator sitting at her station. "If you would Ensign, please beam us aboard the station." The woman indicated the systems were ready and Kirk nodded once. "Energize."

The tingling spread through Alianna's body and temporarily relieved her stress, but as she rematerialized on an unfamiliar surface, the unwelcome tightness came back with the rest of her. She bit back a frustrated scream and stumbled as she finished solidifying. A hand appeared on her elbow and pulled her onto to her feet. Startled by the sudden contact, Alianna looked over her shoulder to find Kirk with a small smile on his face. She mumbled a thank you as she pulled her arm away.

"Welcome," a cheery-looking young man said from the doorway. "My name is Doctor Gregory Smith. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to Doctor Peters' office. I think there were a few questions she wanted to ask."

"We expected as much, Doctor Smith," Kirk said.

Alianna fell to the back of the line as the small parade proceeded through the halls of the station. _What is wrong with me? This shouldn't be a problem… I'll just be answering questions. Except that I don't want to think about this anymore… _She crossed her arms tightly across her chest and stared at her feet as she followed the others. Against her normal pattern, she took no notice of what was going on around her. Alianna didn't even notice when Sindari had stopped walking and walked into her sister's back. _I think I need a vacation or something… Damn it. _

"Ali, are you all right?" Sindari asked in a whisper.

She just shrugged.

"Please find a seat," Doctor Peters' kind voice said from somewhere in front of them.

Alianna dropped into a chair at the corner of the large desk that took up most of the rather small room. She was conveniently hidden behind the Doctor's computer screen and as she planned on remaining as quiet as possible, Alianna hunkered down in the chair until she was almost horizontal. The rest of the away team found seats as well, all far more visible to the good Doctor and her questions.

"Would any of you like something to drink?"

Kirk declined the offer for the whole team. "We should answer your questions first, Doctor. This is an important matter, after all." What he was saying was serious, but as always, Kirk's voice and manner were nonchalant.

"Of course Captain," the Doctor said with a smile in her voice. "Shall we get to it then?"

Alianna let her attention wander as she half-listened to Bones go over what he had discovered about the murdered crew and what was no doubt already in the report. While she understand the Doctor's reasons for wanting to hear the account from Bones instead of just reading about, at that moment, Alianna found the process incredibly tedious and irritating. She could feel herself getting closer to the edge of her temper, and she clamped her jaw shut tighter to try and stop herself from doing something stupid. These were nice people. _It's not their fault Joe was killed. _The Doctor's questions moved to Chekov and then Kirk but Alianna only focused on keeping herself under control. Beside her, Sindari seemed to sense her sister's tension, as she turned to look at her, her face full of concern. Sindari reached out and put a hand on Alianna's arm, but the older sister pulled away after a minute. _What the __**hell **__is wrong with me?_

"Commander Lordeck?"

Alianna's head snapped around. As her green eyes met the Doctor's face, the anger flared. "Yes?" Her voice was tight.

"Could you please tell me what the _Marissa_ was doing at the time of attack?"

"I don't know. I wasn't on the ship. That was how I survived."

"I understand that, but surely you must have some idea of your ship's mission?"

Alianna ground her teeth for a moment, her eyes never leaving the Doctor's face. She was trying not to picture Joseph's dead body sitting in his command chair. "As far as I know the ship wasn't on any specific mission at the time other than waiting for the passenger shuttle that I was on when I was kidnapped."

Doctor Peters' mouth bunched tightly as she sense Alianna's mood. "I know this is difficult—"

"_Don't _say it. _Please_." Alianna pushed herself out of the chair and made her way awkwardly to the door. "If you'll excuse me." She crossed the main laboratory without paying any attention to where she was going, her hands balled into fists at her sides and hot tears in her eyes. Ignoring every offer for help, she just ploughed on, knowing somewhere in her mind that eventually she'd have to stop and ask for directions to the guest quarters, but for the time being, she just wanted to walk and get rid of the anger. "You need help," she told herself.

"Alianna!"

She spun on her heel and stood her ground as Kirk crossed the laboratory after her. He didn't look pleased with her. _Heh, I wouldn't be pleased with me either. _

"What is your problem, _Commander_?"

It was the first time he'd used her title in a captain-like tone. For some reason, it stung. As did the look in his eyes. But she pressed her lips into a thin line and returned Kirk's steely gaze. "I don't know what's wrong, OK? Other than the fact that I _don't _want to talk about what happened to the _Marissa _or what happened to Joe." She closed her eyes and exhaled a long breath. "I thought I would be all right to talk about it, but I'm not. I can't think about it, I can't…" The hot tears bubbled over. "Damn it, damn it, _fuck!_" She sobbed loudly and covered her face with her hands.

Kirk approached her slowly, as if her volatile nature might attack him next. Which it might. "Alianna…" His voice changed and he was speaking to her as a friend, as a person, not a subordinate anymore. "You don't have to do this." He placed a hand on her shoulder, but she moved out of his reach.

"Good," she snapped.

The Captain grabbed a passer-by and asked for the directions to the guest's quarters. "Did you hear that?" he asked when it was just the two of them again. When she nodded, he said, "Good. Now go get some rest."

Without another word, Alianna turned and followed the directions to an area of the station that was deserted. She hurried into one of the rooms and locked the door behind her. Breathing heavily, she leaned backwards against the door and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down. After several moments, the tears stopped. Feeling a little more in control of herself, the young officer proceeded into the bathroom where, to her great relief, found a water shower waiting for her. She undressed and stepped into a very hot cascade of water, savouring the immediate calming effect the water had on her.

_Just calm down, Ali... _

The image of Joseph in his command chair popped into her head.

And the tears sprang into her eyes again.

_I can't think about this. I can't, damn it!_

She tried to think of something else, anything else. Her sister, even her estranged parents. Nothing worked. The image of the man who had been more her father than her actual father wouldn't leave her head. Her back hit the shower wall and she sank to her butt, letting the water pound down on her head and shoulders and back. And she just sat there.

* * *

"There's something wrong with her."

"Your sister does not seem to handle her emotions well."

Sindari looked at Spock and sighed. "She never has, Commander. That's just the way she is. But I've always been able to help before. Although, we've never been through something of this magnitude before." She sighed again and ran her fingers backwards through her hair. She was standing in front of the rest of the away team and the Doctor, all of who were wondering what exactly had happened to Alianna. "Captain, I'm sure she told you of her connections to Captain DeFalco and the rest of the crew. She's lost her family. It's going to take her a while to get over this."

"Clearly."

All attention turned to Bones. Who shrugged.

"I must apologize. It seems it was my questioning that set her off," Doctor Peters said.

Sindari waved off the woman's apology. "She was acting weird before we ever beamed over, Doctor. Don't blame yourself." She turned her green eyes down the hallway that led to the turbolift and thus to the deck with the guest quarters. "Have you got all the information you need from us, Doctor Peters?" The Doctor nodded. "Then, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go check on my sister. If you need to know anything else about the _Marissa_, please ask me. I'll be on the guest deck." The picture of professionalism, Sindari inclined her head and headed down the hall. She wasn't completely surprised when Captain Kirk and Bones decided to follow her. She didn't say anything, though, just let them walk behind it. It was a surreal experience, walking ahead of a Captain and a Commander. When they reached the guest quarters, only one of the rooms was locked. "Ali!" Sindari called as she pressed the doorbell chime. "Ali, are you there?"

There was no answer.

"Maybe she's sleeping," Sindari whispered to no one in particular.

"I don't think so. I can hear the shower running." Bones stepped up to the panel outside the door and typed something. "Emergency medical procedure allows me to override locked doors," he explained.

Sindari shrugged with one shoulder. "That makes sense I guess."

As the doors hissed open, Captain Kirk was the first one through. Bones and Sindari followed, the latter heading straight for the bathroom. Inside the small, white-tiled room Sindari found Alianna sitting on the floor of the shower, her long dark hair unbound and clinging to her shoulders, arms and back. She was curled up with her legs pressed to her chest and her arms wrapped tightly around them, her chin resting on top of her knees and her green eyes staring straight ahead, seeing nothing. She wasn't crying. Sindari turned the water off and knelt beside her sister.

"Ali?"

"I can't get him put of my head, Sin."

She sighed in relief as she heard her sister's voice. "Captain DeFalco?" she asked quietly as she pulled a towel off the shelf and draped it across Alianna's body.

"I can see him, sitting in the chair… I can't get him out of my head."

"It's OK, Ali. You'll get through this."

Alianna leaned into her sister and sighed. "This has never happened to me before."

"You've never lost anyone as close as Captain DeFalco was to you before. And we've already discerned you're not very good at dealing with your emotions. Commander Spock seems to think it's quite the flaw."

"Maybe it is."

"Ali…"

"Maybe I _should _stay here and take a break."

Sindari blinked, speechless. Her sister had never taken shore leave, other than to visit their parents, and that was no vacation for the daughter who didn't get along with them. The loss of the _Marissa_ was seriously bothering her. It unnerved Sindari. Nothing bothered Alianna this much. Well, nothing she ever outwardly expressed anyway. "I don't think that'd be a good idea, Alianna. They're going to be studying the ship here, going through all the files, studying all the bodies… You don't want to be here with all of that. You need to be on the _Enterprise_, away from all this. You need to be out there finding whoever did this to stop them from doing it to anyone else." Tears appeared in Sindari's eyes, and she sniffed to try and stop them from falling. Her efforts were in vain. Her cheeks were soon as wet as Alianna's. "We've lost a family… And so have many more people…"

Alianna unwound herself and stood up, wrapping the towel around herself as she did so. She pulled Sindari up to her feet and stared at her sister for a moment. Her face broke into a small grin. "Stop crying. You're going to have to play the role of big sister this time around if I keep acting like this."

Sindari laughed and hugged her sister. "Get dressed before you come out. Doctor McCoy and the Captain are out there." She closed the door behind her as she entered the sitting room. Bones and Kirk were sitting in the two chairs available, talking about what the plan was after they left that station. "Ali's OK," Sindari said, announcing her presence. "But she's really shaken up about this. I don't think it'd be a good idea for her to stay here while they're tearing through the ship."

"That wouldn't be a good idea," Bones confirmed. He turned to face the Captain. "Jim, it's my expert medical opinion that Commander Lordeck and her sister should be allowed to remain on the _Enterprise_ for reasons of mental health."

Kirk smiled knowingly and nodded. "Well if it's your 'expert medical opinion' then I don't have any reason to doubt it, do I?"

Sindari couldn't keep herself from smiling. "Thank you Captain."

"Don't thank me, thank Bones."

"Why are we thanking Bones?"

Sindari turned and smiled at Alianna, who was dressed in her Starfleet uniform and, at least on the surface, back to her normal self. Sindari admired her sister's abilities in that regard; her own eyes were still red and puffy and she could still feel the tears ready to fall. As Sindari watched Alianna slip Joseph's ring onto the chain around her neck, she glimpsed the hurt behind her sister's confident exterior, but she kept smiling. "We're going to stay on board the _Enterprise_."

"As crew members or civilians?" she asked, sweeping her long hair back before twisting it up into its usual bun at the back of her head.

"I think the _Enterprise_'s crew could use a weapons expert and a security chief, don't you Bones?"

"I think so Jim."

* * *

**Author's Note… **Sorry it took so long!

For those of you not in the know, PADD stands for "personal access display device".

**Next Chapter: Starfleet Again. **


	5. Chapter Five: Starfleet Again

I do not own Star Trek or anything to do with said franchise. However, I own Alianna Lordeck and co-own Sindari Lordeck and this plot. This fic is based on the new movie, and thus, takes place in the alternate universe of the movie. It's rated for lots of bad language and some sexual scenes (let's face it, it is Captain Kirk we're talking about), and violence and some drinking. You know, standard stuff. Should be lots of fun and I apologize in advance if any of the information about Star Trek is wrong. I've tried to do research, but hey, with eleven movies, five live-action shows and one animated show, along with multiple books and such, getting all the facts straight is kind of hard. Anyways, enjoy.

* * *

**Ain't No Rest for the Wicked  
**Chapter Five: Starfleet Again.

* * *

Unsurprising to anyone, Alianna wanted to beam back to the _Enterprise _as soon as she was allowed and physically able. Being around remnants of the ship she'd all but been born on did not serve to keep her mind stable, however, and she spent the few hours she was forced to remain on the science station locked in her quarters and huddled in one of the chairs. Doctor Peters came to speak to her only once, her words riddled with apologies, but also with the desire to have her questions answered. Understanding the need for the answers, Alianna did her best, but she broke into tears half way through the interview and screamed at the doctor until she left. Sindari, Bones and Kirk had come to check on her afterwards, joined by Spock who expressed an offer to help teach Alianna emotional control. In her rage, she had vehemently refused something she had always wanted, and the Vulcan commander had left with the offer still standing. Bones had to administer a hypospray with a mild sedative to calm her down after that.

Sindari had gone with Spock as the pair had been discussing possible perpetrators of the attack on the _Marissa _quite adamantly, and Bones had gone as soon as he was sure the Captain would alert him if Alianna needed anymore medical attention. When Kirk and Alianna were the only two left in the room, he turned and looked at her, curled into the chair beside him. She was staring straight ahead, unblinking and, evidently, unthinking. Some of her hair had fallen out of the careful bun and she had her arms wrapped around herself, like she was holding and comforting herself. He had to say something. He had to give her a line, something to pull her back into herself. "What I said before, that I didn't remember you from the Academy… well, I thought of something."

There was a moment where Kirk thought she might not know what he was talking about, thanks to the drugs in her system, but it passed and she nodded. "What did you remember?" There was no sarcasm or anything in her voice, not even curiosity. It was just a question. It was just was she was expected to say.

"The night before the shuttle left, at the bar."

Something passed through her eyes. "After you started that fight…"

Kirk half-smiled, half-grimaced. "I don't remember it that way, but after the fight and after I spoke to Admiral Pike, I walked outside and you were standing there with blood all over your face and neck. Someone was holding your wrist and yelling at you. You glared at me and then asked me what the hell I was looking at."

Alianna blinked and unfolded herself from the chair. She leaned her head back and rolled it sideways to look at him, a small grin on her face. "I do remember that."

"Why did you have blood on your face?"

Her brow furrowed as she fought the sedative-induced haze. "I tried to interfere in the fight and got punched in the mouth by that big guy. The one you called Cupcake." She bit off a harsh laugh and fixed an intense gaze on the young captain. "I think I wanted to help you."

"You didn't even know who I was."

"Yeah, but you were _so _outnumbered."

Kirk laughed. "Are you okay, Ali?"

He'd used her nickname without thinking. She gave him a startled look, but glossed over it; Kirk breathed a mental sigh of relief. "No. But I will be. Eventually."

"Of that I have no doubt."

She smiled at him and then resumed staring intently at the wall. Alianna had slumped down so far in the chair that her uniform shirt was bunching up behind her and her neck was pressed against the back of the chair. The remnant of her smile hung around her mouth. Kirk realized how tired she looked, how worn out. It occurred to him that she probably hadn't had any real rest since being brought aboard the _Enterprise. _

"Are you ready to go back then?" Kirk asked. "Mister Scott is standing by to beam you back to the _Enterprise_ with those finishing their shore leave." The Captain extended his hand to her and, after a brief hesitation, she took it and pulled herself out of the chair she had settled in. "Do you have everything?"

Alianna nodded. "I didn't bring anything down with me," she said as she squeezed Kirk's hand. After a moment, she dropped his hand and looked towards the door.

Kirk chalked the total of her odd behaviour up to the drugs in her system. "All right then. They're waiting on you in transporter room three."

Again, Alianna nodded. "How much longer with the _Enterprise_ be in orbit of the station?"

"Three days at the most. We have to replenish some supplies and Mister Scott wanted to do a check on some of the systems before we leave."

Alianna pulled her ponytail over her shoulder and ran her fingers through the end of her hair, her expression taking on that empty quality again. She seemed to be thinking thoroughly over what the Captain had said. Her strange green eyes didn't leave his face, and the pacified state of existence unsettled Kirk, who had become used to dealing with her fire. He returned her steady gaze for several long minutes, searching for something else to say, before he gestured to the door and followed the woman into the hall. He found himself unable to think of anything. Kirk remained beside her as they walked, close enough that their shoulders remained touching. He was ready to keep her out of the line of fire from anything related to her old ship. When they reached the transporter room, Alianna turned around and looked at the Captain, and because he had been walking so close, she ended up standing so close they were nearly touching. She took a step back and looked up at him.

"Starfleet put the transfer for you and your sister through, Alianna. When I get back to the ship, you'll start your first shift as official members of my crew," Kirk said. It was the only thing he could think of at that moment.

The corner of Alianna's mouth twitched slightly and then it spread in a familiar grin. She nodded once, expressing her thanks, and stepped farther into the room so the doors would close. Before they could lock however, Kirk grabbed Alianna's hand and pulled her back out into the hall. She didn't protest, just kept her gaze locked on that of her captain. The sudden action surprised even Kirk, causing him to quickly drop the younger woman's arm and clasp his hands behind his back.

"Are you sure you're okay, Commander Lordeck?"

Apparently taken aback by the jump to formality, she resumed running her fingers through the end of her long ponytail. "No," she said again. "Why are you so concerned?" Since Bones had administered the sedative, it was the first thing she'd said that sounded exactly like her normal self.

Deciding to respond in kind, Kirk said, "I just don't want you rampaging around my ship, that's all."

Alianna's smile remained plastered across her face, even if it looked a little… loopy. They lapsed into the same comfortable silence they'd shared when she'd been explaining her attachment to the _Marissa_, and they remained locked in each other's gaze.

_"What's the hold up Captain? Are you sending up the crew or not?" _

Kirk nearly jumped, caught off guard by the sudden beeping of his communicator and the crackling voice of his Chief Engineer. "Just a minute longer Mister Scott."

_"Aye sir." _

Kirk didn't think Mister Scott sounded agreeable, but he let it go. After all, he had said the crewmen who had been on shore leave would be beaming up as soon as Alianna was ready. As Mister Scott hadn't been witness to her odd behaviour, it wasn't surprising the Scottish engineer thought it was taking longer than it should have. The young captain never took his eyes away from Alianna, but she had turned her face towards the floor at some point. "Alianna?"

Her head snapped up. Her eyes were vacant again. "Yes sir?"

"Take the next couple days and rest, all right?"

She blinked, as if processing his words. It was a strange look on her severe face. "Is that an order?"

"If it has to be."

Alianna nodded and stepped back into the sensor range of the doors, that small grin appearing on her face again. They hissed open, exposing the transporter room and a bevy of confused faces. Kirk watched as she climbed onto the pad and turned to face the operator. As the doors slid shut, Kirk sighed and turned on his heel, heading back down the hall, towards the conference room where Spock, Bones and Sindari had gone to discuss the case with Doctor Peters and a few members of her team. Although the discussion was really secondary on his priority list, he was looking forward to it. Kirk was eagerly waiting on Starfleet's orders to see whether he and the _Enterprise _would continue with this case or if they would assign another vessel, so there was nothing like a good discussion to keep his mind of the anticipation. Kirk hoped Starfleet command would leave his crew on the mission; it would drive him up the wall if the _Enterprise _was reassigned and he had to go off into some other corner of space knowing someone else was heading up the case he had started investigating. As far as Kirk was concerned, this was _his_ case. It was _his _job to stop whoever or whatever had killed the crew of the _Marissa_. Besides, even if he somehow found the willpower to sit on the sidelines, he was more than sure that Alianna would beat him around the head until he changed his mind. Once she was back to normal, that is.

"Captain? Are you feeling all right? You look a little… lost."

Kirk looked up at Sindari and shrugged before he'd actually thought of what he was going to say or do. The young officer took the shrug for an answer and turned back to the discussion. The talk turned quickly from who the possible perpetrators could be to what the crew of the _Enterprise _would do if they ever found out. If they caught the attackers. It quickly turned to complete speculation and Kirk wasn't interested in that. Neither was Spock. The Captain and Science Officer turned away from Sindari, Bones and Doctor Peters and stood in front of the window, where they could see the magnificent shapes on the _Enterprise _and the _Marissa_ in orbit beside the station. For a long time, they stood in silence, watching the stars go by and the planet turn beneath them. There was nothing to be done, nothing to be analysed, no one who needed ordering around. It was peaceful. Even with the debate going on less than ten feet away.

"How was Ms. Lordeck when you sent her back to the _Enterprise_, Captain?"

Kirk turned to look at Spock. "She wasn't herself, but she _was_ sedated."

"You seemed worried about her."

Kirk raised an eyebrow at his first officer and crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you implying something Mister Spock?"

It was the Vulcan's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Not at all Captain."

The corner of Kirk's mouth turned up in a smirk, and he laughed to himself. Before anything else, could be said however, Spock was pulled away to help the scientists on the station access the computers on the ghost ship, and Sindari and Bones appeared at the window. Evidently Doctor Peters had gone with the Vulcan Starfleet officer, as she didn't appear at the window.

"Ali's back on the _Enterprise, _then, sir?" Sindari asked. She stood closer to Bones than to Kirk, her arms behind her back, hands gripping opposite elbows. When he nodded, the redhead's shoulder visibly sank, as if a great weight had been lifted. "Maybe now she will get some rest and return to herself. It's not like her to remain so apathetic for so long."

"That was probably due to the sedative I gave her."

"Just how strong was it Bones?" Kirk asked. He tightened his arms across his chest. "She seemed barely conscious of what she was saying or doing some of the time."

"It was strong enough."

Knowing that Bones wouldn't have given Alianna something that could harm her, Kirk changed the subject. "Lieutenant Lordeck, did you manage to come up with any plausible perpetrators of the attack?"

The young woman shrugged with one shoulder, and then, remembering who she was talking to said, "It still seems that the Klingons have the strongest motive, but there is nothing about this attack that says Klingon. The technology is more likely to be Romulan, but it's hard to be sure as we haven't have enough contact with them to know if they're actually capable of something like this. It's possible the Federation hasn't even made first contact with whoever is doing this. Bones," she gestured vaguely to the doctor with a nod of her head in his direction and then winced and corrected herself, "I mean, Commander McCoy, theorized it was a wide-range weapon of some kind that did this. That is the only logical conclusion since whatever it was took out the entire crew of almost a thousand people at once. So, in short, we're still at a loss."

"Then I guess we'd better hope Doctor Peters and her research team uncover something that gives us a better idea of what or who we're looking for." Kirk scratched his cheek absently, thinking Sindari's words and the possibilities of what she'd theorized. "If either of you think of something else, report to me immediately."

Sindari and Bones turned and walked into the hall in tandem. "Is there any reason for me to stay here, Commander?" Sindari asked once they had entered the corridor. Her hands were still clasped behind her back, but she was looking at the doctor, a small smile on her face.

"Not that I can think of. We're not going to reach any mystery-solving conclusions with more speculation, and it might be a good idea to have you check on Alianna anyway."

"That's what I was thinking of doing. I know you wouldn't hurt her, but I'm worried about her."

"Mind if I join you? The sedative I gave her wasn't anything special, but something in the Captain's tone worries me. He sounded worried about her."

Sindari frowned. "When we were on the _Marissa_ and the Captain, Ali and I went down to our quarters to get our things… I think something happened. I think Alianna might have tried to hurt or even kill herself. When they came to get me, Alianna had been crying and there was a haunted look in her eyes. Captain Kirk was watching her like he was afraid she was going to try something, and he had her phaser." Sindari tried to force herself to smile, but the expression wouldn't come. "I think he's worried about her trying to hurt herself more than he's worried that whatever you gave her is hurting her."

The doctor's eyes went wide and he looked ahead down the corridor. "I didn't know she was that unstable."

This time, Sindari did smile, but it was bitter, as was the laughter that spilled from her mouth. "Alianna has always been kind of unstable. Sure, she can control herself when the need arises, but she's never been able to do so for very long. Starfleet and the discipline that comes with being an officer was the best thing that ever happened to her, Commander. The _Marissa_ is the only ship she's ever served on—"

"So it's more than losing her family."

Sindari nodded. "Being reinstated under Captain Kirk's command will be good for her. It will bring her back to normal."

"And you, Sindari? What will this new assignment do for you?"

The young weapons officer's answering smile was happier, a real smile; it brought a rare grin to Bones' face. "Serving under the famous Captain Kirk on the famous starship _Enterprise_? This is a career-making assignment, Commander." They reached their destination, a transporter room, and ascended onto the pad. "I am upset about the loss of Captain DeFalco and my family aboard the _Marissa_, but I have always been better than my sister at controlling my emotions and…" The spinning lines of light appeared in front of her face, and they rematerialized in the main transporter room onboard the _Enterprise_. Without skipping a beat, the doctor and Sindari entered the white corridors and continued the conversation. "In short, Commander, this new assignment is just exactly what I need."

The officers laughed as they headed towards the turbolift.

* * *

The next day and a half passed quickly. True to her word, Alianna had spent the time resting, which didn't include as much sleep as one might have thought, but did include a lot of sitting around her quarters, reading through a complied list of all mysterious deaths and disappearances within Starfleet's histories. The sedative hadn't been hurting her at all, just amplifying the lethargic thoughts in her head. It was giving her an excuse to just let go for a while, and she took it. As soon as it wore off though—within the normal time frame—she was more or less back to her old self, just her old self spending much of her time in her quarters aboard the _Enterprise. _On the third day since they'd arrived at the starbase, she dressed in black pants and a white t-shirt, pulled her long hair back into a low ponytail and began a long and cathartic run through the corridors of the ship. She wasn't going anywhere in particular, just running to do something other than sit around.

As she neared sick bay, several decks away from where she had started, familiar voices drifted down the hallway. A few seconds later, Bones and Sindari appeared around the corner. They were laughing about something, large smiles on both their faces.

"Ali!" Sindari exclaimed when her green eyes found her sister's. "How are you feeling?"

The older sister slowed to a stop in front of her friends and propped herself up with her hands on her knees, breathing heavily. "Fine. Bones, do you know if the Captain is on board yet?"

The doctor shook his head. "He's still on the station. He's due back at eighteen hundred hours as far as I know, which is in just under thirty minutes. He might be delayed though, depending on how everything is going on the station."

The young woman nodded as she hung her head and took a few, slow breaths. When she looked up, her face was flushed and there was sweat beading on her forehead, cheeks and neck. A few drops slid down under the collar of her shirt and she rubbed her hands over her face to stop more from doing the same. "We are still leaving today though?" she asked between gasps.

"As far as I know, that is the plan."

Sindari placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "You'd better get cleaned up Ali. Our first duty shift starts in a few hours and you look like you need some rest."

"I know." Alianna straightened herself and stuck her braced finger towards the doctor. "Can you check on my finger? I'm sick of having to wear this thing. Tell me it can come off soon."

Bones grabbed Alianna's wrist and looked at the finger and then up at Alianna. He dropped her hand. "It will still be a while, Alianna. You know that."

She groaned and slumped against the wall. "I know, I know. All right then, I'll see you later Bones. Sindari."

She pushed herself off the wall and headed for the turbolift at the end of the corridor. Sindari yelled something after her, but she didn't hear what it was, just climbed into the turbolift and headed back up to where her quarters were. Inside her room, Alianna stripped down and climbed into the sonic shower, wrapping a towel around herself when she was clean. In the main room, she dug out a fresh uniform and dressed as far as the pants and undershirt before she flopped down on the bed, her dark hair fanning out beneath her. Alianna closed her eyes and concentrated on relaxing every muscle in her body, looking for a few moments of rest before she started her first official duty shift. She wanted to make a good impression, not that she thought her performance on the bridge before now hadn't been exemplary or anything, but she still wanted her first shift as an official member of the _Enterprise _a good one.

Alianna remained still for five full minutes before she sat up, pulled her socks and boots on and vacated her quarters. As she traversed the hallway yet again, she pulled her red tunic over her head and fastened her phaser belt around her hips and climbed into the turbolift; as security officer she got to wear her phaser at all times, just like all her subordinate officers. She was on the bridge in a matter of seconds. Commander Spock had control of the bridge, and was sitting straight-backed in the command chair, staring straight ahead. Alianna wasn't fooled by his look of detachment, as she knew the Vulcan would be paying attention to whatever was being said on the bridge. Sindari was already there as well, attentively working at her console. Uhura, Sulu and Chekov were also on the bridge, but Alianna didn't know the names of any of the other officers. No one looked up when Alianna entered, but she wasn't bothered by that.

Alianna placed a hand on the console as she approached it. "You're relieved," she commanded.

The ensign looked up at her, something like apprehension in his wide brown eyes. "Yes sir."

Alianna nodded once and took her place behind the console as the spot was vacated and keyed in her security clearance. The console chimed and lit up under her fingers, expressing many more controls than had been accessible to the ensign. Alianna found herself smiling once she was in place and, when she looked up at the bridge in front of her, found Sindari smiling the sisterly grin they'd come to share. Alianna almost laughed.

"Commander Lordeck."

Alianna turned her face to the right so she could face the Vulcan officer. "Yes Commander Spock?"

"You are well enough to attend to your responsibilities as security officer, I trust."

She forced her anger down. It was within the commanding officer's right to doubt an officer, especially one who had behaved as erratically as Alianna had. She knew that, so she choked back her scream. She couldn't keep her voice from sounding tense and tight however. "Yes sir. If you do not trust my assessment, you can ask Doctor McCoy."

"That is not necessary, Commander. I trust that you got the doctor's clearance for duty."

"I did, sir."

"Captain on the bridge," Uhura said from her positions at the communications console.

Her voice was strong and commanding, but it had to be to get attention and orders across the entire bridge. Lieutenant Uhura was one of the only officers who could carry if off without seeming arrogant or like she was issuing orders to those who were above her. Alianna met the woman's gaze briefly before she pulled herself to attention and watched as the door slid open and the yellow-shirted Captain crossed the bridge and stood in front of the newly empty command chair. As he sat, the bridge returned to its state of action, not attention, and Alianna turned to face out the main viewer.

"Captain, we're getting reports of another ghost ship," Uhura informed the bridge suddenly. The air on the bridge went from normal to intensely high tension in the blink of an eye. The level-headed young woman continued relaying the necessary information. "The _U.S.S. Lithgow. _Last known location is near where the Klingon Empire and the Romulan Neutral Zone meet."

True to form, Kirk took charge. "Transfer coordinates to the helm. Mister Sulu, get us there as soon as you can. Mister Scott."

_"Aye sir?" _

"Give us as much power as you can. We've got another ghost ship and if there's any chance of catching the murderers as they leave, I want to take it."

_"Of course Captain." _

"Commander Lordeck, take the ship to red alert. Lieutenant Lordeck, ready weapons. I don't want to be caught off guard."

Alianna nodded and her fingers danced across the screen, keying in the code to turn the auxiliary lights around the ship to red and set off the alarm. Across the bridge, Sindari's fingers mimicked her sister's as she brought the phaser banks into ready mode and sent down the command to ready photon torpedoes in case phasers weren't enough. The knot that always appeared in red alert situations blossomed between Alianna's shoulder blades, but she took that discomfort and used it to focus.

"Docking clamps are disengaged, sir. We are cleared for warp," Sulu said.

"Give me the highest warp factor we've got, Mister Sulu."

The young Asian nodded and, after a brief flutter of fast-moving fingers in tandem with Chekov's as the young Russian checked that the course was laid in correctly. As the warp drive engaged, there was an audible punch through the air and the stars on the main viewer blurred into lines. Alianna took her hands off the edges of her console where she had placed them to brace herself. There was no verbal exchange for the entire journey, which lasted all of fifteen minutes. Alianna hoped that since they had been close to the attacked ship that they might have a chance of catching, or at least finding out, whoever was behind these attacks. As the ship dropped out of warp, the silent ship came into view, huge, dark and empty. Captain Kirk contacted Bones and told him to meet in transporter room one. Then, he rose from his chair, pointed at Sindari, Alianna, and Sulu and assigned Mister Spock the bridge.

Alianna fell in at Kirk's right, matching his stride. "Do you think we're going to catch them?"

"There were no signs of other ships in the area," he said. "But that doesn't really mean anything." He sighed. "I don't know."

"The ship or whatever it is must have a cloaking device more sophisticated than the Klingons or Romulans," Sindari said in a voice that sounded more like she was thinking out loud than actually talking to anyone. "That's the only way it could close to a Federation ship and not be detected by any of the sensors or anything…"

"Or what if they've developed the technology to fire while they're cloaked?" Sulu suggested. "Romulan and Klingon cloaking devices are nearly complete anyway."

The away team reached the transporter room and the doors hissed open, revealing Bones already standing on the pad and Montgomery Scott waiting. The rest of the officers ascended to the pad and took their places on the raised platforms.

"Put us on the bridge of the _Lithgow, _Mister Scott. Energize," Kirk said.

Light whipped around Alianna and the four other members of the away team, all outfitted with phasers and communicators on a belt around their hips, and they dematerialized in unison, reappearing on the bridge of the ghost ship. Alianna stepped ahead, before the Captain, phaser out and scanning the area for any potential danger. When she'd convinced herself there was nothing to fear, she dropped her phaser. The others followed suit and spread out through the bridge. Unlike on the _Marissa_, there was no smell of death. The crewmembers could have just been asleep at their posts. Bones and Sulu began scanning the bodies and the ship, and Sindari and Alianna walked a perimeter of the bridge, double-checking that there was no threat in the immediate area. Kirk stood in front of the captain's chair, which was empty.

"Captain, my scans are showing that they were killed the same way as the _Marissa_'s crew," Bones said. "They all died at the same moment."

"It's the same with all the ship's systems. They were all shut down except for life support, suggesting that the perpetrators came on board." Sulu turned off his tricorder and let it hang on the strap cutting across his chest.

Kirk sighed. "So there's no new information?" he asked, his voice frustrated.

"Actually, I think I may have found something," Sindari chimed from the science station.

The away team converged around the redhead and looked where she was pointing. Across the material of the console was a long cut, cutting right down to the wiring beneath, and on the floor was a small, triangular piece of metal. Bones immediately scanned it with his tricorder.

"No unusual materials, no fingerprints, no… nothing," he said. "Does anyone have any idea what it is?"

There was a chorus of no.

"Bring it back to the ship," Kirk ordered.

_"Captain, someone's shooting at us!" _came Uhura's panicked voice over the communicator.

* * *

**Author's Note… **Ugh, sorry it took forever. I've been working on my original story more and my fanfiction muse has been taking a vacation somewhere out of contact. Only recently has the Star Trek incarnation returned, so maybe I'll do some more updating… Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter. And the uber cliff-hanger.

**Next Chapter: Attacked. **


	6. Chapter Six: Attacked

I do not own Star Trek or anything to do with said franchise. However, I own Alianna Lordeck and co-own Sindari Lordeck and this plot. This fic is based on the new movie, and thus, takes place in the alternate universe of the movie. It's rated for lots of bad language and some sexual scenes (let's face it, it is Captain Kirk we're talking about), and violence and some drinking. You know, standard stuff. Should be lots of fun and I apologize in advance if any of the information about Star Trek is wrong. I've tried to do research, but hey, with eleven movies, five live-action shows and one animated show, along with multiple books and such, getting all the facts straight is kind of hard. Anyways, enjoy.

* * *

**Ain't No Rest for the Wicked  
**Chapter Six: Attacked.

* * *

"Get us back on the _Enterprise_!" Kirk bellowed into his communicator.

Alianna braced herself on a nearby railing as another barrage of phaser fire struck the _Lithgow_. Light whipped around her and the rest of the away team and they reappeared a second later on the pad in the transporter room, the effect of having one's molecules scrambled fading as the away team moved as one towards the turbo lift and up to the familiar bridge. As the doors hissed open, Alianna all but lunged forward to her console, Sindari doing the same on the opposite side of the Captain's chair, the girls' fingers moving blur-like across the screens as they called up the information they would need.

"I can not detect the ship, Keptin," Chekov said as Kirk settled into his post.

"No ion trails? Nothing?"

Alianna brought the sensors scans onto her screen and absorbed the information quickly. It was the science officer's job to read the scans, yes, but a second pair of eyes couldn't hurt, even if the science officer was a Vulcan and incredibly intelligent. There was nothing detectable. Spock confirmed the assessment, and there was an exasperated sigh from the command chair and the tension on the bridge escalated quickly. The ship shook sharply and the lights flashed. Several of the bridge crew were tossed forward into their consoles.

"Shields are holding, sir," Alianna informed Kirk, unsure of the desire to relay positive information to the man. "I don't think they're trying to hurt us yet."

"Yet being the key word. Somebody find me that ship!" Kirk was sitting on the edge of his chair and looked like he was going to throw himself forward at any moment. The ship shook again, and he gripped the arms with white knuckles, eyes narrowing dangerously as he fought to remain in his chair. "Come on! Why can't we find this thing? Are they cloaked? Are they _staying _cloaked?"

"Yes Captain," Spock answered. "I detected a small amount of the ship when they fired last, but I see nothing there now. Their cloaking technology must be incredibly sophisticated."

"Transfer the coordinates to Lieutenant Lordeck's console Mister Spock. Lordeck, fire on those coordinates."

The bridge officers followed the orders quickly. Bright red phaser beams shot out into seemingly open space. Half the barrage kept going, but a couple shots exploded against something invisible, something cloaked. The shields on whatever was attacking them glowed momentarily and then faded again. There were excited yells from some of the crew, but the majority of the officers remained silent, waiting to see what would happen next. Would the ship de-cloak? Would they hail the _Enterprise_? Or would they just continue to attack, invisible to all eyes? After a minute or so of waiting, there was no response and the tense air on the bridge relaxed somewhat. Kirk ordered another round of fire in the same coordinates, but there was no reaction. The tension skyrocketed again. Kirk rose from his chair and strode up to the viewer, glaring out at the stairs. Minutes passed. Nothing.

"Why would they leave?" Alianna whispered.

Kirk turned to face his security officer, and for a moment said nothing. "I don't know. But we should take advantage of the situation and get as far away from here as possible. If they can stay cloaked while firing, there's no way to know when or where they will come from. Lieutenant Uhura, send a message to the nearest Starfleet ship. Tell them to wait a few hours before approaching the _Lithgow _and tell them to bring back up. We don't need anyone else getting shot at," he said. The young captain returned to his chair. "Mister Sulu, take us back to Federation space."

"Aye sir."

Alianna relaxed slightly as she felt the warp engines engage and the ship move away from the site of attack. Subconsciously, she moved one hand to the DeFalco's ring on the chain around her neck, but stopped the motion as soon as she realized she was doing it as she wasn't supposed to be wearing the thing, but more so because she didn't want anyone to catch her moment of weakness. She was unsuccessful. Sindari looked across at her with sympathetic eyes; she could tell her older sister was feeling guilty about leaving the ghost ship floating there in space with the threat of attack still looming. What if they had had to leave the _Marissa_ and her crew? Alianna sighed and trained her eyes on the faintly glowing touchscreen in front of her, studying each button and readout thoroughly. The ring weighed heavily around her neck.

The ship slowed to impulse as soon as they were safely back inside the boundaries of Federation space and away from the Klingon Empire. Kirk pressed the button on his chair for ship-wide communication and waited for the beeps to grab everyone's attention.

"Senior officers report to the observation deck." As the communiqué ended, the yellow-clad man turned to face the bridge. "Mister Sulu, Mister Chekov and Lieutenant Lordeck, you come as well. You were all part of the away teams. Uhura, you have the bridge."

As he rose from his chair and left the bridge, the officers fell into line. Alianna kept her eyes firmly on the wall ahead of her while Sindari stared at the floor passing beneath her boots, trusting her sister to steer her clear of any impending obstacles; it might not have been the best idea at the time, as Alianna's mind was more than a little occupied by the thoughts of their attackers running through her head.

The observation deck was a large room, one the largest on the ship and it sat at the far end of the saucer on deck five, with the quarters of the captain and the senior crew. There was a table sitting to one side of the room, and it was at this table that Kirk sat, prompting everyone else to settle into one of the swivelling chairs as well. Somehow, Alianna ended up sitting at Kirk's left while Spock was at his right. Once the rest of the senior officers had piled in and taken a seat, Captain Kirk set about explaining what they had seen on the _Marissa _and the _Lithgow _and let McCoy share his findings about the deaths. Alianna didn't pay much attention, as she wasn't keen on hearing about the horror and she wasn't keen on picturing Joseph's decaying body in her mind, but when the recap session came to an end, she was the first to offer any input.

"I don't think they're Klingons," she stated, bringing a circular debate to an end. "For one, they don't have the technology to stay cloaked when they attack and they wouldn't have just left us there. Klingons are warriors and they had the upper hand in that situation. If it had been Klingons, they would have just wiped us out."

"What if they're working with someone else?"

Alianna looked at her sister like she'd grown another head. "Seriously? The Klingons work with someone else?"

Sindari shrugged as her cheeks flared to a brilliant shade of red. "It's not so farfetched. If they found someone else who hated the Federation and could make them stronger, why wouldn't they form an alliance?"

"She's got a point there," Bones said.

"I just don't think it's the Klingons, and if this meeting has dissolved to speculation, I'd like to return to the bridge. Captain?" She turned her bright green eyes to her left.

Kirk nodded once and she left the table. Several of the other officers took that as a cue to leave as well, clearly more interested in whatever work they were doing before the meeting than speculating on what it was that was taking out Federation ships. James Kirk on the other hand, thought speculation sessions like this were a good way to get new ideas into people's heads and perhaps, come up with a feasible answer or course of action. As the doors hissed shut behind Alianna and the others, he turned to address the rest of the table. "While Lieutenant Lordeck makes some valid points, Commander Lordeck's argument can be backed by witnessed fact about the Klingons. Does anyone else have any ideas about who could be doing this and how?"

"I haven't got any new information about the way they died, other than it shares similarities with death by phaser fire. I've never seen a phaser that could wipe out an entire ship at once before though." Bones sighed and settled farther back in his chair. "We're facing some dangerous enemies here, Jim. They've got technology we've never seen and that Starfleet doesn't eve have in development."

"Logically, it would have to be someone the Federation has already come into contact with, for any feelings of animosity to exist," Spock stated in his usual level voice.

Also in usual fashion, Kirk quickly provided a counterargument. "Not necessarily. It's possible whoever is taking out Federation ships is doing it on principle. You know, against what the Federation stands for."

"That is highly unlikely Captain. It would be prudent to go through the logs and make a list of those races we have not had successful first contact with in recent history, and then decide which of that list would be capable of producing the technology we are seeing. Perhaps someone who has relations with the Klingons or the Romulans? Those are the only two races we have encountered who employ cloaking devices."

"Good plan, Mister Spock. Do let me know what you find out." Kirk offered a cheeky grin to his first officer before turning to the Lordeck left at the table. "Lieutenant, would you examine the fragment we found aboard the _Lithgow_? Compare it to documented weapons and see if you can make a match. We might get an idea of who we're dealing with then. Bones, keep on those medical examinations. Mister Scott," Kirk said, turning his chair so he could face the Scottish officer standing to his immediate right. "have a look at the reports Chekov and Sulu made when they examined the ghost ships and see if you can come up with anything."

"Aye sir."

"Make everyone delivers all reports to me."

There was another chorus of "Aye sir" and the observation deck emptied. Kirk, Bones and Sindari were the last three in the room, and as the doors hissed shut again, the captain turned to the chief medical officer.

"Bones, can this brace come off my nose yet?" The doctor pressed his lips into a thin line. It was an expression Kirk knew well: it was the face he made when he was trying not to laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing really, Jim. Just that Alianna came to me earlier begging to have the brace taken off her finger in the exact same tone."

A small grin tugged at the corner of Kirk's mouth, but he suppressed it, settling for the grimace the battle turned the expression into. "Well can it come off or not?"

"Not yet. It'll have to stay on for a couple more days at least and then we'll put some tape on for the rest of the healing period. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have reports to get back to." McCoy smiled at Sindari and nodded to his captain before pressing past his fellow officers and disappearing into the hallway, but heading in the direction opposite from the bridge.

"Captain?"

"Yes?"

"What do you think the likelihood of us catching the attackers before they take out another ship is?" Sindari asked, her cheeks and ears darkening again.

Kirk sighed. "I'm not sure. Right now it isn't looking very good, but we're doing everything to change that."

"I know."

The captain took a step towards the door and gestured for Sindari to walk with him; they were headed to same place, after all. "If I may ask, Lieutenant, how are you holding up?"

"Excuse me?"

"I saw how leaving the _Lithgow _affected your sister. She's feeling guilty and that's got her thinking about the _Marissa_ again. I'm just curious as to how you're doing."

Sindari sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger as they stepped into the turbolift. "I've already told Doctor McCoy this, but I handle things better than Alianna. I always have. Yes, I feel guilty about leaving that ship hanging there, but so does everyone on this ship probably. As for thinking about my old ship… well of course I'm still thinking about it, but no, it's not eating me up inside like it is with my sister. But Captain, if you're worried about our performance on duty, then let me put your fears to rest. Both my sister and I perform admirably under pressure; it's in all our performance reviews, if you care to look it up."

Kirk gave the young woman a half-smile. "I wasn't questioning your abilities to handle your responsibilities, but thank you for that bit of information."

The turbolift reached the bridge and the weapons officer moved to her console to the side of Kirk's command chair. The captain returned to his chair and stared out the main viewer as the ship moved farther into the areas of space considered safe and under the Federation's control. There was a flurry of thoughts running through the captain's mind, mostly centering on who the hell was causing this havoc and how the hell they were doing it. Where they were getting the technology was also a problem, but one to be solved after they were discovered and stopped.

"What's our status?" Kirk asked openly.

"Shields are down to thirty per cent, but they are holding. The starboard nacelle took some damage, as did the docking bay and several of the lower decks," Alianna answered promptly. "There have been no reports of causalities or major injuries and all the damage areas of the ship have been blocked off. Mister Scott estimates no longer than twelve hours at a repair station and we'll be at one hundred per cent, sir."

The captain nodded. "Take us to the nearest repair station Mister Sulu. Lieutenant Uhura."

"Yes sir?"

"Have you heard any other distressing news?"

The dark skinned woman shook her head, her long ponytail bouncing as she did so. "There have been no indications of other ghost ships. Thanks to you reports however, Starfleet is keeping a sharper eye on the boarders and watching extra closely for any signs of hostility."

Kirk nodded. At least they weren't the only ones doing anything about this anymore.

* * *

Since docking at the repair station, Alianna's and Sindari's duty shifts had ended and, after getting cleaned up and changed, the sisters had beamed over to the orbiting space station to browse some of the shops. Alianna hated shopping, but Sindari had dug up some excitement and energy from somewhere and what was supposed to serve as mostly a distraction had become a big deal for the younger Lordeck. The station orbited a planet along a heavily used route and was quite busy as a result; moving through the corridors was so difficult at times that Alianna and Sindari had to actually stop moving to wait for a break in the throng.

"I've never seen anyone with purple skin before," Sindari whispered as she peered around her sister's shoulder to look at one of the passer-bys.

"Stop staring Sin. You may be off duty, but you're still a Starfleet officer." Alianna adjusted the sweater she was wearing and then, for about the fifth time in ten minutes, pushed the sleeves up. The station wasn't overly warm, but Alianna didn't like standing still. So she fidgeted.

"Sorry if I'm a little excited to be off the ship. I'm glad to be back on assignment and all, but I could have never expected it to be so stressful so quickly. A little enthusiasm over new races instead of worrying about getting shot at isn't a bad thing Ali." Sindari climbed up onto the base of a support pillar to better observe her surroundings and those walking through them. "Come on Ali! Aren't you even a little bit excited to see all these people?"

Alianna rolled her eyes and sat by her sister's feet. They had only been on the station for a few hours, and the elder Lordeck wasn't looking forward to spending the rest of the "daylight" hours wandering around the shops. She wasn't feeling up to working out or anything, so she'd have to either suffer through hours of her sister's company or find something else to do. As Sindari plunked down beside her sister, Alianna answer her question, "No. Not really. We're not conducting any first contact missions here. Plus, none of them seem very interested in us."

Sindari shrugged. "Want to go look at clothes? You only have like, two outfits that aren't uniforms."

"So?" Alianna had never shared her sister's enthusiasm for shopping, but lately, there wasn't any excitement to spend on anything. "Look, Sin, I'm only down here because Bones ordered me off the ship to relax while we have a moment. Don't push me."

Sindari hopped off the pillar base and stood in front of her sister, hands on her hips. The more exuberant sister was apparently determined to get her older sibling to smile when she was doing something other than working. Now, Sindari wasn't stupid. She knew Starfleet was her sister's life, hell, it was her life too, but the difference was that Sindari had room for other things and Alianna didn't. When one needs something as much as Alianna needed Starfleet, it takes a lot to bring anything into that life if it wasn't already involved with the military. All of Alianna's friends were in the military. With the exception of a few books on her data PADDs and her miniscule wardrobe, everything she owned was inspired by or taken from the military. Sindari grabbed her sister's wrist and pulled her towards the nearest clothing store, determined to get her to relax a little bit.

"Please Ali? We can go to the bar afterwards."

Alianna rolled her eyes again, but submitted to Sindari's will, all the while silently hoping something would happen to call them back to the _Enterprise_. Sindari moved around the store, picking out clothes for Alianna to try on, and tossed them into her sister's arms. When the pile was very nearly obscuring her vision, the bitter officer stomped into the back of the store and began to try clothes on, muttering about how you'd think someone would have invented an easier way to try clothes on by now. Thoroughly amused by her sister's discomfort, Sindari settled herself on a bench outside the cubicles and waited, a smile plastered all over her smug face.

"Have you matched that fragment to anything yet?" Alianna asked, raising her voice to be heard through the muffles of fabric and walls.

It took Sindari a moment to realize what her sister was talking about. She rolled her eyes, but acquiesced to her sister's need to work. "No. I've set up a program to run the image through the database while we're down here, so hopefully there will be some answers when we get back."

"Hopefully. It would be nice to have something useful to report to the Captain for once."

"Huh. You seem awfully concerned with delivering good news to Captain Kirk," Sindari jibed as Alianna opened the door, revealing her dressed in a pair of tight black pants and a flowing purple shirt. "That outfit looks nice."

"It's all right. Are you suggesting something?"

"About you and the Captain? No, not at all…"

Alianna shot her sister a look and then closed the door. "There isn't anything there. Is it so weird to want to make a good impression to my new Captain?"

"I suppose not, but you weren't even this obsessed with getting good news to Joe."

Behind the door of the changing cubicle, Alianna stopped moving, but it only lasted a second, and then she was moving again, pulling on another outfit as she contemplated her sister's accusations and tried to think of something else to say. While she was adamant that there was nothing beyond loyalty and friendship in her feelings towards the young Captain, it was hard for even her to explain her desire to relay good news to Kirk and not darken his day further. Shrugging it off as she had before, she opened the door to display her new outfit: a long black dress.

"Why the hell did you put this in the pile?" Alianna demanded once she was facing Sindari.

"Why did you try it on?"

Alianna frowned. The truth was, she'd been so busy in her own thoughts that she hadn't even noticed what she was pulling on. "Well whatever. I'm taking it off now."

"It looks really nice, Ali. You should get it. You can keep it in the back of your closest."

"When am I ever going to wear it?"

Sindari shrugged. "I don't know, but you don't have anything nice like that aside from your dress uniform, so it might be a good idea to keep something just in case."

Alianna rolled her eyes for the third time that day before disappearing into the changing room again. Half an hour later, Alianna had finished trying on all the clothes she was going to, and with her sister sufficiently appeased, she purchased a select few, including, at the urging of Sindari, the black dress. As Sindari ducked into the change room with her own wardrobe, Alianna's communicator beeped and the young officer sighed with relief as she pulled it from her belt and flipped it open.

_"Are you and Sindari ready to come back?" _asked Bones' voice.

"I'm ready. I'm sure she could stay down here for hours. Is something the matter?"

_"Not exactly. Sindari's program pulled up a few possible results, none of which are very comforting. I already relayed the information to the Captain, and he wants to discuss it with you and Sindari."_

"All right, we'll be there in a couple minutes." She closed the device and knocked on the change room door. "Hurry up Sin. We've got to get back to the ship."

There was an annoyed grunt and then the door swung open. Sindari adjusted her shirt and headed over to the owner. Once the girls were both in possession of their new clothes, Alianna flipped open her communicator again and, in a matter of seconds, they were standing on the transporter pad on the ship, Bones standing in front of them, waiting with his usual frown on his face.

"Where's the Captain?" Alianna asked.

"He's in the observation room where the biggest screen is."

Alianna started walking immediately, Sindari and the doctor falling in step behind her. As they walked, Alianna twisted her hair, which had been hanging loose around her shoulder and waist, into a bun and pinned it in place with the hair sticks she had had in her pocket. In the observation room, Kirk was standing in front of a large view screen, arms crossed across his chest and a puzzled look on his face. There was a magnified image of the fragment from the _Lithgow _on one side and five smaller images on the other side, three of which were immediately recognizable as Klingon weapons. Alianna, Sindari and McCoy grouped around the Captain and stared at the screen as well, all trying to process the same information.

It would be logical to conclude their attackers were Klingons, since the metal shard was most likely to have come from a Klingon weapon, but there was that nagging fact of the Klingons not have technology sophisticated enough to wipe out two Federation ships completely, and it was unlike Klingons to do it with so little mess.

"What if the Klingons really are working with someone else?" Sindari suggested just as she had earlier, only this time with more conviction in her voice.

"I still don't think that's possible." Alianna's voice, on the other hand, sounded much less confident.

Kirk turned to face the other three officers. "At this point, it's the best lead we have. We haven't been able to connect these murders to anyone else, and with this new information," he gestured at the screen behind him, "the Klingons do seem the most likely. Of course, we're not going to report anything until we're more than just speculating."

"Has Mister Scott come up with anything?" Bones asked, remembering the task the chief engineer had been assigned.

"Not yet." Kirk sighed and went to pinch the bridge of his nose, but stopped as his fingers hit the coarse material of the tape, settling instead for running his fingers backwards through his hair. "We've got to stop this…"

* * *

**Author's Note… **I'm not apologizing for the amount of time between updates, but I am apologizing for the fact that nothing much happens in this chapter. I needed some filler between things, and there is some vital information.

And, by the way, I know money doesn't exist in the Federation, but whatever. Maybe they had to purchase the clothes because they used foreign fabrics that had to be purchased or something…

Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Next Chapter: Logic. **


	7. Chapter Seven: Logic

I do not own Star Trek or anything to do with said franchise. However, I own Alianna Lordeck and co-own Sindari Lordeck and this plot. This fic is based on the new movie, and thus, takes place in the alternate universe of the movie. It's rated for lots of bad language and some sexual scenes (let's face it, it is Captain Kirk we're talking about), and violence and some drinking. You know, standard stuff. Should be lots of fun and I apologize in advance if any of the information about Star Trek is wrong. I've tried to do research, but hey, with eleven movies, five live-action shows and one animated show, along with multiple books and such, getting all the facts straight is kind of hard. Anyways, enjoy.

* * *

**Ain't No Rest for the Wicked  
**Chapter Seven: Logic.

* * *

_I hate this stupid thing…_ Sindari tossed the PADD down at turned her green-eyed gaze back to the plate of chicken and potatoes in front of her. Her stomach grumbled. _Stupid work… _She picked up the PADD again, flicked through a couple more images before her stomach grumbled louder and violently enough to cause her that nagging pain, as if her stomach was saying "feed me, feed me". Once again, she dropped the handheld device and picked up her fork, shovelling food into her mouth and swallowing gratefully.

When she was able to concentrate on the information without the distraction of her stomach, she picked up the PADD and continued to eat as she studied.

One image in particular caught her eye. Sindari stared intently at the data PADD in her hand, which was currently displaying a split screen image of the fragment from the _Lithgow _and a Klingon weapon, a mak'leth**.** She scrolled the image backwards, until the fragment was sitting beside another weapon. She stared at that pair, trying to mentally rotate the piece of metal until it fit somewhere on the blade. She couldn't make it fit. Or least, not as well as it fit on the mak'leth. As she shoved a mouthful of mashed potato into her mouth, she scrolled back to the Klingon weapon. The small, triangular piece of metal slid right onto one of the dangerous-looking points. It had to be Klingon. Unless it belonged to a race the Federation had yet to encounter.

She swallowed the last of her dinner, her green eyes swinging around the mess hall, looking for anyone she trusted to give a second opinion.

Sitting by the window across from her, was Commander Spock, deep in conversation with Lieutenant Uhura. Sindari had seen them down there together before, talking, but for the first time, she wondered if she'd be interrupting something if she crossed the room to speak to the first officer. She watched the two officers for a moment, studied their faces. As she had expected, there was not much from the Vulcan outside of interest in the conversation, but Uhura, normally collected and professional, was staring at the pointy-eared officer with shining eyes and a weighted gaze. She cared for him, perhaps loved him. There was no mistaking that look. And, judging by the way the Vulcan responded to her words, to the light brush of her hand against his, the feelings were not one-sided.

"Puzzling, isn't it?"

Sindari jumped and looked up at Bones, who was standing across the table from her, fingers wrapped around the top of the chair. Heat crept up her neck to her cheeks and ears, and something tightened in her gut. She was embarrassed at being caught staring. Or was she just embarrassed at being caught by the doctor? "Uh, what is?" she stammered, forcing herself to keep her eyes on Bones.

"Those two, together." The doctor gestured at the seat he was standing behind, and when Sindari nodded, he sat down and leaned forward with his arms crossed on the table.

The lieutenant looked at Bones for a moment, waiting for the heat to dissipate from her face. "Yeah, I guess it is weird. I never thought about it, really. I mean, it's not like Vulcans _don't _have emotions, right?" Her green eyes swivelled back to the seemingly mismatched couple. "They just… suppress them." She smiled to herself, a particular mental image flashing through her mind. "I didn't even realize they were a couple until right now." Spock looked at her from across the room and the blush came back in full force as she turned her attention back to the doctor. Looking for a way to change the subject, she shoved the data PADD towards him. "Can you make that piece fit on the Klingon weapon?" she asked, her voice moving quicker than normal.

The older man chuckled at Sindari's flustered state and took the PADD from his friend's hand. He went silent as he studied the images; Sindari could almost see the wheels turning behind his pale blue eyes as he rotated the image in his head. "Yeah," he said eventually. "It fits."

She reached across the table and scrolled the image. "Can you make it fit on this one?"

Bones stared at the PADD again. "It fits better on the mak'leth."

A grin spread across Sindari's face, the blushing and embarrassment long forgotten. "Excellent. That means, unless we're facing something we've never met before or you and I are totally insane, we're facing Klingons. Or at least one Klingon working in conjunction with someone else, maybe a rogue…"

"Sindari?"

She looked up from her pondering. "Mhm?"

"Stop speculating."

"Right." She smiled at Bones.

Across the mess hall, Spock and Uhura rose from the table and headed for the door. As the Vulcan science officer passed the table, Sindari shot to her feet without a thought, the data PADD in her extended hand. "Will you look at this please?" she asked, voice gone all rapid again. Her eyes were sparkling with the mental images from before and there was a half-smile on her lips.

Spock blinked—the only indication of surprise at the outburst—and then nodded and took the PADD. "I assume you're asking me to judge the likelihood that this fragment came from a mak'leth?" As Sindari nodded, Spock turned his dark eyes back to the screen in front of him. It only took him a few seconds to come to his conclusion. "This does look like a piece of a Klingon weapon, Lieutenant. You seem enthusiastic, so does this mean you have identified those who are attacking the Federation?"

She cleared her throat. "Well, if not exactly who, we're at least a little closer."

A small smile appeared in the corner of Spock's mouth. "Then you should tell the Captain you confirmed the suspicions from yesterday's meeting."

Sindari beamed. "I was just looking to get another opinion before I took the information to him."

Spock dropped his chin in a slow nod, acknowledging her choice. "Exemplary work, Lieutenant." Without another word, the first officer exited the mess hall, falling in step beside a waiting Uhura.

The younger Lordeck fell back into her seat with the bright grin still on her face. The look she received from Bones stopped the smile in its tracks. "What?" she asked, voice awfully whiney and another round of blood flooding up into her cheeks. Not for the first time in her life, Sindari wished her blush reflex wasn't in such good shape.

Bones just shook his head. He was quiet for a few long minutes, and there was a look on his face that said he was thinking hard about something, probably what to say, but there was also an edge of displeasure. "Sindari," he started, his voice gone low and rough, as it did when he was unhappy or angry. "Don't… let your feelings for Spock-"

"Feelings? What feelings?" Her cheeks darkened to crimson.

"Just don't be stupid about it, okay?" he snapped, ignoring her protest. Almost angrily, Bones rose from the table and left the mess hall, leaving a startled Sindari in his wake.

Once overcoming her shock at the way the doctor had spoken to her, Sindari got to her feet and left the dining area. She headed back to her quarters, so she could prepare an overlay image of the fragment against several of the possible weapons to prove that it did indeed fit best with the mak'leth. It wasn't a necessary step as far as protocol went, but Sindari didn't want there to be any doubt. She had Bones' word along with that of the science officer to fall back on, but she wanted to prove she could hold her own. Twenty minutes later, she left her quarters to find the Captain and regale him with her knowledge.

In the corridor, she approached one of the computer terminals and asked where the Captain was. As she had expected the young Captain Kirk was on the bridge. Clutching her data PADD tightly in one hand, she entered the nearest turbolift and headed for the bridge, a knot of nervousness forming in her gut. The situation the Federation and the _Enterprise _were getting involved in was a big one. If the Klingons, or whoever was destroying ships, was doing so as a move against the United Federation of Planets, than it had to be stopped soon. It had to be stopped soon in any case, but at the risk of endangering planets and peoples who did not have the technology to defend themselves, the _Enterprise _and her crew had to get a move on. If Sindari could contribute to that advancement, it would be a gigantic move forward for her, not to mention she could help bring the killing to a stop.

As the turbolift doors sighed open to admit an anxious weapons officer, she came face to face with Alianna, who was looking none too pleased. "What's the matter?" she asked, stepping onto the bridge.

Alianna sagged against the wall, the turbolift closing beside her. "I have an overnight shift tonight. I've been 'relieved' so I can get some rest."

"And the problem is?"

"I don't want an overnight shift. They're _boring_."

"Won't you have the con? You'll be the most senior officer assigned to the overnight crew."

"How do you know that?" Alianna asked, pulling herself to her full height.

Sindari shrugged. "I was just looking at my duty schedule, and noticed those crew members usually assigned the overnight shift aren't that high in the pecking order. Lieutenant Uhura and Ensign Chekov sometimes pick up overnight shifts, as does Mister Scott down in Engineering. I would have thought you'd like having control of the bridge," Sindari said in a decidedly teasing tone. "Anyway, stick around for a minute. I've got news."

"Is the weapon Klingon?"

The sisters crossed the bridge as if they were one being: in time, side-by-side. "I'm almost one-hundred per cent sure it is."

"Excellent. Then we know how to beat them."

Sindari sighed, more exasperated than alarmed by her sister's enthusiasm about the ensuing fight. "Do we?" she asked. "If they are all Klingons, and this isn't just an incident of one rogue or something, than they have weapons the Federation has never even dreamed of. We don't know if we can counter the weapon, or avoid it, or protect the crew from it. We could all die in this one, Ali. This really is dangerous. I know we've been in dangerous situations before, but nothing like this…"

"What's got you so pessimistic? You're usually the happy one. Leave the brooding and unhappiness to me."

That got Sindari laughing, just as they reached the Captain's chair.

"What's so funny Lieutenant Lordeck?" Kirk asked. He had become unusually surly since the meeting the day before, and it wasn't just in his voice. The Captain, who was normally a friendly person, had retreated inward and only seemed interested in solving the problem at hand. He hadn't spoken to any of his senior officers or anyone. It was as if he wanted to find the criminals himself.

"The fragment is from a Klingon weapon. Doctor McCoy and Commander Spock both agree with my assessment, and I have prepared images to prove the fragment best fits with a Klingon mak'leth."

Captain Kirk sat up straighter in his chair and beside Sindari, Alianna stiffened. Sindari knew her sister's reaction was because Alianna never liked to be proven wrong. She was stubborn and hot-headed and didn't like to be told she was wrong. Years ago, Sindari would have rubbed it in Alianna's face that she was right, but in the current atmosphere, she settled for a small, smug grin. She faced the Captain, her face set with confidence and extended the PADD towards his eager hands, watching with anticipation as his blue eyes scanned the small screen.

"This is fantastic, Sindari," he said once he had finished. "But this still doesn't answer the question of how the Klingons got their hands on a weapon this advanced."

"They probably stole it," Alianna said under her breath.

Kirk stared at her for a minute and then nodded his agreement. "You're probably right, although we have to keep the possibility open that they did develop this weapon themselves, however unlikely—and frightening—that may be."

"Yes sir. Would you like me to see what I can find on Klingon weapon development?"

"Yes. Forward all reports directly to me."

"Yes sir."

* * *

Alianna flopped down on her bed and fixed her green eyes on the ceiling. She knew she should have been happy that they finally had a lead, even if it did prove her theory wrong. But, she hated being proved wrong and she couldn't find it within herself to congratulate her sister on a job well done, a job done better than Alianna could have ever done it. She didn't have the patience for tedious jobs like comparing a piece of metal to other pieces of metal to find one it matched. Her head would explode long before she had any worthwhile results to share, and Sindari had been working on the fragment for two days, since they'd found the damn thing.

She sighed and sat up, kicking her boots off before crawling farther up on the bed and burying her face in the pillow. It smelled clean and upon breathing in the calming scent, Alianna realized she was exhausted. And her hand hurt.

"God damn it," she muttered, trying to rotate her wrist. The brace didn't allow much movement beyond lateral motion. She groaned loudly, climbed out of bed and headed for her closet to change into off-duty to close. Sleep sounded like a wonderful idea, and she didn't want to be pulled into any crises because she was wearing her uniform. "Stupid fucking hand," she huffed as she changed into a very large shirt and black pants. Alianna unbound her hair, shook it out, and left her room, not realizing she was barefoot until she more than halfway to the medical bay.

"Did you lose your shoes again Ali?" Bones asked as she stormed into the bay.

"Can you give me something for the pain in my hand so I can sleep?"

"How much does it hurt?"

Rolling her eyes because she realized this was going to take longer than a few minutes, she hopped up onto the nearest bed and stared into the pale blue eyes of the doctor. "Like a bitch. I just want to sleep."

"It shouldn't hurt this bad at this point in the healing process." Bones took the hand with the broken finger and held it closer to his face. "There are a few new bruises. Have you kept the brace on?" He took her hesitation as a no, and rolled his eyes. "Ali, it isn't going to heal if you leave it off for very long, especially if you try to move it at all."

"Okay, fine, fine. Can you just give me something so I can sleep, please? I have an overnight shift tonight and I'm supposed to be getting some rest."

He nodded and turned towards one of the carts carrying the medication. "Did you hear about Sindari's revelation?"

"Yeah."

"You don't sound too excited."

"Let's not get into my deep-seeded issues, m'kay?"

Bones laughed. "Sorry." He handed the fiery woman her pills. "These will knock you out for a good eight hours, and then once you wake up, you'll be groggy for about another hour or so. Don't operate any heavy machinery. Like the ship."

"Oh haha." Alianna took the pills and swallowed them without the aid of water. She hopped off the table and headed into the hall, the floor suddenly feeling cold against her bare feet. "Bye Bones."

The pills started to take effect halfway back to her room, and she stumbled into the wall. A hand appeared on her arm before she could pitch forward to the floor and pulled her back onto her feet; she knew before she turned her foggy eyes to her saviour that it was Kirk. How did she know? Well, she wasn't quite sure, but upon seeing his face, she scowled. "Weren't you just on the bridge?" she managed to ask through the haze rapidly taking over her mental faculties. Somewhere amidst everything, Alianna made a mental note to scold Bones for not telling her the pills would work so fast, even though she'd probably forget before she could ever act on said note.

"Yes I was. I left to take a walk and think. Are you okay? You're not drunk are you?"

"No, I am not drunk. Bones gave me some pills for pain."

"Pain?" Kirk asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

She shoved her hand into his face, the brace on her finger brushing the brace on his nose. "My hand hurts. I didn't leave my brace on for as long as I should have. He gave me the pills so I could sleep. Which I will now go do." Alianna turned away from the Captain and took two steps before she crumpled, her muscles relaxed to the point of not being able to hold her up. Grumbling unintelligibly, she allowed Kirk to help her to her feet and let him take most of her weight.

"Are you going to be okay to take your overnight shift tonight?" the Captain asked, slipping his arm around her waist and slinging her other arm around his neck.

"I'll be fine. I just need to sleep. I'm _exhausted_."

The tone in her voice made him chuckle.

"Don't laugh at me."

"Sorry," he said, smiling down at her bright green eyes.

Half-dragging Alianna, Kirk made it almost back to her room, before she fell asleep. Her knees gave out underneath her, and if he hadn't been holding her as she was, she would have hit the deck hard. With some careful manoeuvring, the Captain got his security chief into his arms without dropping her, and he carried her into her room. He left her snoring softly on the bed, and he didn't realize until that moment, when he saw her completely relaxed, how tightly wound the woman kept herself. Kirk wasn't sure she knew how tense she was.

As he made to leave her quarters, the doors hissed open and revealed Sindari, her arms crossed over her uniform shirt. "Oh," she said upon realizing the Captain of the starship was standing in front of her. "Hello Captain."

"Lieutenant Lordeck." Kirk paused, and then said, "Ali's asleep."

Sindari looked at him, confused at the use of her sister's nickname, but glossed over it. "Oh. Well, I guess I'll talk to her later then."

"You seem distracted. Are you okay?"

"Yes sir. I'm fine. Just… Well, I like to bounce ideas of Ali, and, as impatient as she is, she's decent at doing research, and there's a lot of information in the Federation files about Klingon weaponry." Sindari sighed and dropped her hands to her sides. The pair had moved outside the range of the door's sensors, and were standing in the middle of the hall. "Ali also has a certain… familiarity with Klingon weapons. We both do."

Kirk raised a curious eyebrow. "You're going to have to explain that statement, Sindari," he said, slipping into informal speech. They were not on the bridge and Sindari was not on duty, so there was no need for the titles.

"Did Alianna tell you how she got onto the _Marissa_, sir?"

"Yes."

"Soon after she got onto the ship, they came in contact with a Klingon Bird of Prey and there was an altercation. The majority of the Klingon crew got on board to try and take over the ship. Obviously, the crew of the _Marissa_ stopped them, but not without casualties of their own. I believe three of the engineering crew were killed along with two of the officers on the bridge, and many other people on board were injured, including Ali, who was almost gutted by a mak'leth." Sindari sighed again and ran her fingers back through her red hair as her eyes went distant, the young woman drifting away from the present and into the past. "She probably would have died if she hadn't been so close to sick bay when she was attacked. As it is," she said, snapping back into the now, "she has a nasty scar on her left hip and side, and since then, she's been obsessed with Klingon weapons."

"Why couldn't she identify the fragment? Why was she so against the idea of our enemy being Klingon?"

"She's more obsessed with knowing how to _use _the weapons."

Kirk nodded as if he understood completely, which he didn't. Alianna Lordeck was a puzzle and probably would remain a puzzle to the James Kirk for the rest of his life, but that didn't mean he had to admit that to anyone. "Have you uncovered anything about the cloaking technology or whatever weapon they're using?" he asked, switching the conversation back to business. When in doubt, go with what you know.

"Nothing concrete, sir. Although, from what I've read and what I know about the Klingon cloaking device, it doesn't seem that farfetched that they might have developed technology to remain cloaked while they fired whatever weapon they're using."

"Maybe no, but that idea scares the hell out of me."

* * *

_"Why did you take us away, you human filth?" _the captain of the Klingon vessel roared.

The tall, thin man stared at Captain Krang from under the edge of his heavy hood. His eyes were hard, weighed down with age and the wisdom that comes with age, but there was also bitterness and hate darkening the bright green orbs. _"Do you want this mission to end before it has begun?" _he asked in fluent Klingon. For a human, he had masterful control of the rough language. _"That was the U.S.S. Enterprise. I have no doubt that you have heard of the ship's reputation under the command of Captain James Kirk. He would have fought us until they died or we did." _

_"Do you have such little faith in the weapons you have given us? Have you betrayed us?" _

The man scoffed. _"I hate the Federation as much as you."_

_"That is impossible. You are not Klingon." _

_"I have not and will not betray you. Together, we will bring down the corrupt Federation," _he said, sticking his arms into the opposite sleeves of his cloak. For several long minutes, the human regarded Krang with his strange eyes. The Klingon captain was tall, broad, muscular and used to pushing people around. At first, he had been displeased by his inability to order the "lowly human" around, but lately, Krang seemed to have begun to see the Federation traitor as a worthy ally. _"You know I do not lie Krang. Even now, I am taking you to yet another ship, this one closer to the centre of the Federation. Soon, you will be able to use your weapon and slaughter those who think they should be running the galaxy." _

A savage grin split Krang's face, showing jagged and stained teeth. _"We will cut of the head of the snake." _

As the man nodded, a grin on his own face, another, smaller Klingon appeared on the bridge and came to stand in front of his captain. _"We have entered the Sol system, Captain. We will reach the _U.S.S. Castiel's_ location in a few hours." _

Krang nodded and the officer disappeared into the dark corridor once more. _"Are you sure the scientists you brought cannot make it so we can stay cloaked and travel at warp?" _

The Klingons' inside man shook his head. _"That ability was sacrificed so we can remain cloaked while using the weapon. The _Castiel _will not be able to detect us before we drop out of warp and activate the cloaking device. Do not worry, Krang." _

_"I was not worried." _

The man nodded. _"I must get back to my wife, Krang. I will return before it is time to attack the Federation."_

Without waiting for any words of farewell, the green-eyed man departed from the Klingon bridge and headed through the utilitarian corridors, heading to the shuttle bay, following a path he now knew by heart. As he walked, he marvelled as he always did at the conditions in which the warrior race travelled through space: dark, narrow corridors and not a luxury in sight. The Klingons did not fabricate their ship with recreation in mind, only function. In fact, in was when the Klingons sought a moment a rest that the man first met Krang and discovered a means to the end of his rebellion. Getting the scientists had been easy. With his connections, and the complex net of favours he had woven over time, he had been able to fashion a team of brains able to advance the Bird of Prey's cloaking technology and to modify the phaser banks with parts from Federation vessels. It had taken time, but it was nothing the man hadn't planned for. Convincing the Klingons to join him had been easy as well, but that was thanks to their well-established hatred of the Federation. But now the plan was in action and it couldn't be stopped until the Federation had crumbled, until the galaxy was free of the corrupt system the Vulcans and humans were trying to impose on the unsuspecting races of the systems surrounding Sol and Vulcan.

The green-eyed man had worked for the Federation for his entire adult life, and his parents had worked for them before him, so he knew how deep the corruption ran in the Federation. He wasn't going to let it spread any further.

* * *

**Author's Note.**

Oh my God! A Star Trek update! Quick! Read it before it runs away.

… Or something witty to that effect. Yes, it's been a while since I updated. Am I sorry? Uhm, no. I don't write my fanfictions unless I have at least a molecule of inspiration for them, lest I turn out a bad chapter. I haven't had any inspiration for this fic in while, so I didn't update. You all seem to like this fic so much that I didn't want to screw it up with some lame-ass chapter. So what changed my mind? What brought back the waters of inspiration to the barren Star Trek desert?

Try the DVD being released, watching it, laughing my ass off while I made stupid comments (I do that in _all _movies) and enjoying a good two hours of special features, where it was revealed that the rest of the cast thought Chris Pine "wasn't all there" and that just made me love him more. Yes, I am going to marry that man.

Dude, chill out, I'm kidding.

My, my, aren't I feeling witty today…

Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this chapter, even if it sucks. The planning for this one was kind of a lame, and I didn't remember was some of my obscure notes meant, so I kind of winged it. The next few chapters will be good. They've got some more action and revelations and connections… Wee, fun stuff.

I wonder who will catch the joke in this chapter… And Shauna, you don't count because you came up with the joke.

Every time I go to type "joke" I type "joker". Is that a Freudian slip, telling me to write my Batman fics? I think so! Off I go! *bounds away to write some Batman*

**Next Chapter: A Moment. **


	8. Chapter Eight: A Moment

I do not own Star Trek or anything to do with said franchise. However, I own Alianna Lordeck and co-own Sindari Lordeck and this plot. This fic is based on the new movie, and thus, takes place in the alternate universe of the movie. It's rated for lots of bad language and some sexual scenes (let's face it, it is Captain Kirk we're talking about), and violence and some drinking. You know, standard stuff. Should be lots of fun and I apologize in advance if any of the information about Star Trek is wrong. I've tried to do research, but hey, with eleven movies, five live-action shows and one animated show, along with multiple books and such, getting all the facts straight is kind of hard. Anyways, enjoy.

* * *

**Ain't No Rest for the Wicked  
**Chapter Eight: A Moment.

* * *

Alianna stared down at her console, her brows furrowed and her mouth turned down, betraying that her mind was somewhere other than on the very uninteresting device in front of her. There were no security emergencies or anything of the sort at three in the morning, Earth time, anyway; the console didn't need her attention. There was nothing exciting about being on the bridge at that time, either, leaving her thoughts free to wander. All the officers on the bridge were quiet, facing their consoles and absorbed in the beeping, chirping and whirring chorus that always filled the bridge. Alianna looked up and out the viewer. Her thoughts finally broke free of the thin restraint she was holding them with and wandered in the only direction they could. The Klingons.

If they didn't find a lead or something helpful in this Klingon problem soon, she was going to lose it, and she hadn't exactly been keeping a level head throughout the situation. Even Alianna didn't want to know how she would react. The way the Klingons kept several steps ahead of the _Enterprise _at all times, the fact that the war-inclined race had a weapon the Federation didn't, the crew of the _Marissa _dying and Alianna being able to do nothing about it; all these thoughts ran through her mind, each more hurtful and angering than the last. Alianna tightened her fingers around the edge of the screen for a moment, her knuckles turning white with the effort. It wasn't until the ensign at the communications console behind her said anything that the security officer noticed her frustrations were readily apparent.

"Did you say something, ensign?" she snapped as she loosened her fingers. Alianna quickly gathered herself together and rose to her full height, turning her bright green eyes on the red-shirted man.

The young man blanched under that gaze. "I just asked if you were all right, sir. You look a little pale." His voice was steady and calm, even if his face betrayed his fear. His control over his voice earned him points with Alianna. If he could just master his face, she would have envied his control.

She sighed and closed her eyes momentarily, her shoulders dropping a fraction of an inch as she relaxed. "Yes, I am. I'm just… concerned with this Klingon situation."

The ensign nodded before wisely turning back to his post and not saying anything else. Alianna turned her eyes back to her console for a minute longer before taking the few steps to the command chair; she was the most senior officer on the bridge, after all. A knot between her shoulders relaxed as she settled into the comfortable seat. Being the security chief meant she stood behind her console for eight or more hours a day, so sitting while she was working was a luxury. She crossed one leg over the other and leaned back until she was comfortable, her hands folded over the ends of the armrests, fingers poised near the controls, should she need to use them. It was a fair imitation of how Kirk sat, but the look on her face was one that would likely never grace the young Captain's features.

Almost as if on cue, Kirk strode onto the bridge as Alianna's thoughts turned to him. "Captain on the bridge," the communications officer announced.

Everyone except Alianna turned their attention to the man clad in the gold tunic; she was too wrapped in her thoughts and anger to pay him any mind. He nodded to them, letting their attention wander back to their tasks, before moving to stand behind the command chair, his chair. Kirk placed his hands on the back of it, in line with Alianna's shoulders, the tips of his fingers hovering just above her crimson tunic. "You know," he said, "you're supposed to acknowledge the Captain when he steps onto the bridge."

She looked up at him, nose brace and all. Some of the anger drained from her face. "Why are you up?" she asked, instead of replying to his statement.

"Couldn't sleep," he said simply. Kirk put more weight on his hands, leaning forward a bit. "You don't look like you're enjoying your first command… Lordeck."

Alianna raised an eyebrow at him, but lowered at as soon as she realized he had almost called her by her nickname. She turned her green-eyed gaze back out to the viewer to avoid getting a crick in her neck from looking up at her Captain as she answered his query. "The overnight shift is boring, sir."

"Yes."

"And all I can think about is the damn Klingons and their weapon."

"So you're angry."

"Yeah, I'm angry."

They were silent for a few moments, staring out the viewer at the thousands of stars whipping past as they traveled at warp speed. It was a relatively low warp speed, but it still presented a brilliant view and Alianna never got tired of it. At some point, Kirk moved to stand at the side of the command chair, his arms crossed over his chest and a contemplative look on his face. The noises of the bridge were the only sounds, until Alianna pulled her eyes from the stars and turned to look up at Kirk, the attention causing him to look down at her. They were silent for a minute longer.

"Why are you letting me sit in your chair?" she asked.

Kirk's face split in a wide grin. "That's a good question."

She blinked, waiting. "You're not going to make me get up?"

He shrugged with one shoulder. "I don't feel like sitting. Besides, you're still technically the commanding officer on duty." His smile faded. Kirk sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger; he was tired. "Have you had any brilliant insights into our Klingon problem?" he asked.

"No." Alianna sighed softly and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I've looked through as many reports as I could find, and there is nothing, _nothing, _about the Klingons having a cloaking device this sophisticated. Not to mention there isn't anything like whatever weapon they're using in any reports about anything. I mean that. There is _nothing_." Alianna's voice had increased in speed while she spoke and it ended in a huff, the noise showing just how aggravated she really was, all light banter with her Captain aside. She crossed her arms under her chest and slid farther down into the chair, a fair semblance of pouting.

Kirk chuckled at her reaction. Her frustration was amusing. Of course, it could have just been that he was searching for something other than the deaths of his fellow Federation officers to focus on. As the moment of brevity passed, he looked down at her, his face neutral. "How are you feeling?" he asked. "Other than angry, of course."

Alianna looked up at Kirk again, eyebrow raised in that Vulcan-like way. It took her a moment to remember what he was talking about, and when the memory came back, she groaned softly, her eyes fluttering closed. "That wasn't a dream... You actually helped me walk to my room after I took those pills, didn't you?" Kirk nodded, his trademark small smirk on his lips. "Wait…" she said after a moment. "I passed out in the hall. How did I get back to my room?"

"I carried you."

"You did?"

"Well, I wasn't going to leave you in the hall, now was I?"

"I don't know." Alianna looked back up at him, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. The light conversation was making her feel better. "You might."

Kirk returned the expression and placed one hand on the back of the command chair again, the other hand on his hip. His blue eyes were soft as he looked down at her. "So how are you feeling? How's your hand?"

"It's still sore. But it's better than it was last night. I shouldn't need to take anymore pills." The smile on her lips grew marginally. "How's your nose?"

"Sore. Bones said the brace should be able to come off soon, although, I might just leave it on. Don't want the Klingons to re-break it."

They continued to smile at each other until something in the moment changed and Alianna abruptly looked away, her eyes back on the stars in front of the ship, and her cheeks flushed slightly. She hoped Kirk wouldn't notice, but knew he would; he was too observant to miss something like that, especially when he'd been staring at her already, and especially when it was someone like Alianna, who didn't blush on a regular basis. In a vain attempt to hide her embarrassment and discomfort, Alianna closed her eyes, took a deep breath and, when she opened her eyes again, she stared intently at the glass of the viewer, since, if she stared too long or hard at the stretched stars, she would get a headache.

"Are you blushing?" Kirk asked, leaning towards her and dropping his voice to avoid drawing attention to his security officer and himself. It was useless though. The very presence of the Captain standing while someone else sat in his chair was enough to garner their gazes, albeit secretive ones stolen over shoulders when they thought no one was looking.

"No," she answered automatically, finally looking at him. "Back up," she snapped.

Kirk obeyed the command and took the unspoken cue from the newfound anger in her voice. "How likely do you think it is that the Klingons had help?" he asked, turning the conversation back to business like she wanted.

Her anger slowly fading, Alianna opened her mouth to respond, when the ensign at communications turned to face them, the sudden movement on the previously still bridge slightly startling. "Excuse me, Captain," he said, in a voice that was only slightly strained by the urgency he was clearing feeling. "There is a message from Starfleet coming through. It's marked for your eyes only, sir."

Kirk nodded in acknowledgement and looked down at Alianna before he could stop himself; he pulled away slightly when their eyes locked, but it was too late to gracefully look away. He settled into the gaze again, his shoulders falling slightly with a silent sigh. "You have the bridge, Commander Lordeck," he said quietly.

Alianna nodded, watched him leave the bridge and sighed with the doors as they closed. After they clicked softly shut, she shook her head. _What the hell is wrong with me? _she asked herself as she pushed out of the command chair and went back to her usual console. _He's the Captain, Ali. Get him out of her head. _Her fingers dancing over the touch-sensitive screen, she checked all the security feeds. There was still nothing, and that made her grind her teeth because she wanted a distraction. Her thoughts were wandering again, but in a totally different direction. She took two steps back towards the centre chair, but changed her mind and started a circuit of the bridge, her boot heels clicking loudly and angrily on the white floor.

Where her thoughts had been on the Klingons before speaking to the Captain and for hours before that, she now found herself unable to think of anything other than James Kirk. It wasn't the first time the young Captain had wormed his way into her thoughts, and it wasn't the first time Alianna had had trouble getting him out of her head. She wasn't exactly sure why she was so fixated on the Captain. Okay, she had some ideas, but they weren't thinks she was willing to admit to herself, to anyone. The thoughts made her feel different, not like herself, and she needed to be herself to get through this Klingon mess. She needed to be herself to be able to stop anyone else from dying. She needed to be herself to feel confident and strong and everything she was convinced made her a good Starfleet officer. As she walked, she clenched her jaw and forced herself to think of Klingons, to think of weapons, to think of the things she normally thought off, to feel more like herself. The anger flooded back into her face. Her eyes darkened with it and, subconsciously, her hand fluttered to her shirt, above the scars hidden underneath. Feeling the rough, raised skin brought the images of the Klingons who had attacked her into her the front of her mind.

It wasn't so hard to think of the Klingon threat after that.

As she passed the weapons console, where her sister normally stood, for the third time, the communication controls in the arm of the command chair beeped, drawing her attention. She cleared the space in two long strides and pressed the button with her thumb, knowing full well who would be on the other end of that call. "Lieutenant Commander Lordeck here." She frowned a bit at the odd-sounding words. _I don't think I've ever said that before in my life… _

_"Commander Lordeck," _came Kirk's voice, tightly controlled. He was angry. _"I need a second opinion on some information Starfleet sent with their message." _

"I'll be right there, sir," she said. "You," she said to the young man at the communications console once she'd released her hold on the button. "What's your name?"

"Ensign Scullion, sir."

"You have the bridge until I get back." Alianna turned from him before he could reply and was in the turbolift before anyone else could protest. She couldn't see being too long, and Scullion had the beginnings of a leader, or at least someone who would handle himself in a chaotic situation. Alianna was confident in her choice. Besides, no one was allowed to argue with the commanding officer.

She rode the turbolift down to the now familiar deck and stepped into the white hallway. As she walked quickly through the slightly curving corridor, she passed Sindari who was chatting with Bones. She didn't respond to her sister's or her friend's greeting, but just kept walking; she did hear Sindari say something about Alianna being summoned by the Captain being the only thing to make her move that quickly. When she reached the Captain's quarters in the farthest reaches of the deck, she stepped up to the doors. She started as they opened, having expecting them to be locked. She entered Kirk's room and turned to the left, to where he sat in front of a small viewscreen, leaning on the glass table. It was the office where he received private and high-priority communications and where he met with diplomats they were transporting. The viewscreen on the table was off, but there was a very serious look on Kirk's face. He looked up when Alianna entered and that look softened around the edges.

"They don't think we're doing enough to stop these killings," he said.

Alianna frowned. "How can they say that?" she asked, a trickle of anger working its way into her voice. It wasn't anger at Kirk, it was a Starfleet. It was anger at someone doubting her Captain. She leaned on the doorframe and crossed her arms under her chest, her brow furrowing again slightly; she forced the anger away, knowing her emotions had a tendency to bleed over into those around her.

"Apparently we should have come up with some concrete leads by now, and the information we have come up with isn't good enough." He fixed her with a look she'd never seen on his face before: rage. It wasn't directed at her by any means, but Alianna knew then that she was there to act as more of a sounding board, and it was only her because Spock, and anyone else the _Enterprise_'s Captain might have spoken to normally was asleep. "They already _knew _the Klingons were behind this and too many people are dying for our slow information collection to be of any use," he paraphrased. He sighed, his blue eyes a boil with the need to yell or hit something to release the anger. It was a look Alianna knew well; it was one she'd seen in the mirror.

Alianna pushed off the doorframe and stood on the other side of the glass table, her fingers resting on the cool surface. "There is nothing else we can do right now… Jim."

His eyes shot up from the spot on the floor they'd been glued to. It was much the same reaction Alianna had had the first time Kirk had used her nickname. For a second, Alianna thought he was going to respond to being addressed by his first name, but he didn't. He dropped his eyes again, the spot on the floor suddenly interesting once more, but his gaze did not rest there long. "Have a seat," he said when he was looking up at her again; almost absentmindedly, he gestured to a chair sitting against the wall behind him.

Alianna obliged without a thought. She pulled the chair a little closer to the table so she was sitting beside Kirk and not behind his shoulder, and said, "I can't imagine Starfleet called just to berate you."

"They found another ghost ship."

"Where?"

Kirk turned in his chair, his knee brushing hers. "A few light-years outside the Sol system."

Alianna's stomach twisted into a painful knot and it was suddenly hard to swallow. The Klingons were getting close to Earth. Very close. If they got to Earth, they could wipe out Starfleet. They could hit the Federation on home turf, possibly even destroy it. When she finally found her voice, she had to clear her throat before she croaked the word, "What?" Kirk just kept his eyes locked with hers. "Another one?" she gasped.

"Now you know why Starfleet Command is so pissed."

She managed a bitter smile. "I suppose so." She cleared her throat again and sat up straighter, pressing her back into the chair. "What ship was it?"

"The _U.S.S. Castiel._"

"Isn't that a new ship?" Alianna asked.

"Yes."

She shook her head slightly. "Do they want us to check out the _Castiel _and see if we can find an ion trail or something to track the Klingons with? Or are we no longer in charge of this investigation?" Alianna squeezed her eyes shut while she waited for Kirk to answer; all the information and thoughts flying through her head were giving her a headache.

"Oh no, we're still in charge, but if we don't catch them soon…"

"Our collective ass is going to get kicked. Got it." She sighed heavily and put her head in her hands, elbows propped on knees and palms covering her eyes. "What are your orders then?" she asked as she straightened herself.

Kirk was staring intently at her when she opened her green eyes, face set as it had been on the bridge. Alianna's cheeks flared to life again, but this time, there was nowhere to hide the blush, so she didn't. The Captain of the _Enterprise _opened his mouth a small amount, closed it again, fought off a smile and then said, "I'll transfer the coordinates to the helm. Get us there as fast as the ship can, but don't engage the Klingons if you find them. When we reach the _Castiel_, call me to the bridge, and if everything appears safe as it did with the other ghost ships, we'll beam over and see if we can find anything."

"And if we can't?"

He sighed and ran his fingers back through his hair. He looked tired. "We'll deal with that when and if we have to." A familiar small smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, but it didn't stay. "I could really use a dose of your sister's optimism right now," he sighed. He waved off her reply. "Get up to the bridge, Ali. I'm going to try and get some sleep."

Alianna nodded and got to her feet, moving to the side a bit so she wasn't standing directly in front of Captain Kirk. She looked down at him, opened her mouth to say something, but the words failed her, and as Kirk had done not a moment ago, she shut her mouth again and settled for a small, tight grin. It was the most reassuring she could be. As she walked past the Captain, leaving the hold of his blue eyes, she placed her hand lightly on his shoulder, the contact broken as suddenly as it had been initiated. Blushing furiously, Alianna exited Kirk's quarters and stepped into the white corridor, the colder air washing over her as the doors sighed closed behind her.

"Commander Lordeck? Is something the matter?"

Her eyes—which she hadn't realized she'd closed—snapped open and widened as she took in the tall, straight form of Spock, his dark eyes narrowed ever so slightly, scrutinizing her position, standing just outside the Captain's quarters, quite obviously flustered. She took a second to focus her mind, straightened her shirt and looked up at the Vulcan officer, as calm as she could get herself to appear. "No, Commander Spock. I'm perfectly fine," she lied.

He raised one slanted eyebrow at her, but didn't comment. "Are you on your way back to the bridge?"

Alianna nodded and started walking, knowing Spock would fall in step beside her. "Another ghost ship has appeared, close to the Sol system. The Captain wishes to be alerted once we reach the coordinates of the _U.S.S. Castiel._"

Spock nodded; Alianna barely caught the movement out of the corner of her eye. "I shall accompany you."

"You can take command of the bridge too… sir."

As they entered the turbo lift, Spock fixed his steady gaze on her cheek, forcing her to turn and look at him. "You seem shaken, Commander. Would you like to be relieved of duty for the rest of your shift?"

It was an innocent enough question, and truth be told, she should have said yes. Her mind was too occupied with other things to perform her bridge duties well, and she was starting to feel exhausted by her thoughts and feelings. But, being as stubborn as she was, Alianna set her jaw and tried to stare down the Vulcan standing less than two feet away from her. "No I would not like to be relieved of duty," she snapped. "The Captain gave me orders to follow, not you, so I'm going to go up to the bridge and get this ship moving as fast as she can so we can get to the ship and try and catch these damn Klingons before they kill anyone else!" When she finished talking, she was breathing a little heavier and her cheeks were flushed again, but this time the red had nothing to do with embarrassment.

Spock just looked at her, evenly. "I will not force you to relinquish command, Alianna," he said in his calm voice. He used her name to try and make her feel safe, to make her realize he was not attacking her. "If you wish to carry out your orders, than by all means, proceed."

Alianna just stared at him.

The turbolift came to a smooth halt and the doors opened. Spock kept his eyes on the fiery woman for a brief moment longer and then stepped onto the bridge, leaving a rather thunderstruck Alianna behind him. She made it through the doors before they could close—a little less gracefully than she might have done if she'd moved a second earlier—making quite the entrance as her knee slammed into the metal of the door. "Shit," she breathed, bending down to rub her knee.

"I assume the Captain has transferred the coordinates to the helm?"

Alianna glared at Spock then nodded. "Proceed at fastest speed available," she commanded, her voice straining slightly as she attempted to ignore the pain. She put weight on her knee and it hurt, but she could take it.

"Warp Six available, sir."

Alianna rolled her eyes and walked to the command chair. "Bridge to Engineering," she announced, pressing the appropriate button.

_"Aye?" _

"Mister Scott, would it be possible to get any more speed out of the ship? We've got another ghost ship on our hands."

_"I'll see what I can do, but I can nae promise anything." _

"Good enough." She pulled her thumb off the button and sank gratefully into the black cushions of the command chair as she felt the ship move faster beneath her.

* * *

**Author's Note.**

Sorry, sorry, the Klingon weapon is a mek'leth, not a mak'leth. Oopsie.

But yay for Star Trek! I really, really, really want to watch the movie again, but if I do, I won't get anything else done and right now, I have a lot to do, like clean the apartment and try to get back into the swing of things when it comes to school and work. Also, I want to buy a new laptop, so I have a computer that works with Star Trek Online. OH MY GOD I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT THAT GAME!!! (runs around, spazzing) I'm going to get the Collector's Edition next week when I get paid, so I can have the Borg officer on my bridge. Mwahaha…

I can't wait to get the actual version of the game, but the beta is sooooo much fun.

Anyways, I finally finished the planning for this fic, and I'm excited to write it. Really, I am. But I'm writing four fics at once here and I have to try and pick up my X-Men fic again since I've had a bunch of people tell me to update it again. I'll try, I swear.

Anyways, enjoy this chapter! Sorry it's kind of short. This chapter was meant to serve one purpose, and it does. Any guesses what that purpose was? If you guessed to further Ali and Kirk's relationship, then you're right. Also, to start the movement towards the beginning of the end, as it were. Of course, there are still many chapters to this one, so it'll be a fairly long end, but still an end.

**Next Chapter: Something New. **


	9. Chapter Nine: Does it Still McFly?

I do not own Star Trek or anything to do with said franchise. However, I own Alianna Lordeck and co-own Sindari Lordeck and this plot. This fic is based on the new movie, and thus, takes place in the alternate universe of the movie. It's rated for lots of bad language and some sexual scenes (let's face it, it is Captain Kirk we're talking about), and violence and some drinking. You know, standard stuff. Should be lots of fun and I apologize in advance if any of the information about Star Trek is wrong. I've tried to do research, but hey, with eleven movies, five live-action shows and one animated show, along with multiple books and such, getting all the facts straight is kind of hard. Anyways, enjoy.

* * *

**Ain't No Rest for the Wicked  
**Chapter Nine: Does it Still McFly?

* * *

"Are feeling okay Jim?"

Kirk raised an eyebrow at the inquiry, but otherwise didn't move as Bones removed the brace off his nose. He didn't want to do more damage by doing something as stupid as moving when he shouldn't have, when he'd been told not to. "Yeah," he said once his face was clear. His voice was a little cautious as he was unsure what exactly his friend was after.

Bones fixed his friend with a look that said he knew the younger man was lying, or at least hiding some important details, but Kirk just shrugged and turned his blue eyes to the floor. That gesture just made the doctor keener on finding out what was bothering his friend and his captain, since Kirk was not someone to back down from a fight, be it a staring contest, interrogation or a life-or-death battle. As he was examining the bruised bridge of Kirk's nose, Bones took advantage of the only opportunity he was sure he was going to have to question his friend without him running off.

"The crew are talking about your little chat with Alianna on the bridge last night," he said. Okay, so it wasn't a question, and it wasn't obvious how it related to the way Kirk was feeling, but it was direct enough and seemingly random enough that it just might get the stubborn captain talking.

It sure as hell got Kirk looking confused. "What are they saying?" he asked.

"Nothing overly incriminating, but from what I've overheard, they think you acting as casual as you were with Alianna was odd, and I agree." The doctor narrowed his eyes at the yellow of the healing bruise and then turned away from the table, confident Kirk wasn't going to vanish while his back was turned. Once he had located the stiff tape that would replace the brace on Kirk's nose, he turned back around, the searching look in his eyes once more. "So, I ask again: are you feeling okay Jim?"

Kirk was silent as Bones worked at positioning the tape properly on his nose, his eyes just staring ahead. He was trying to remember the conversation he'd had with Alianna last night, trying to recall why the other bridge officers might have found it unsettling or weird or whatever it was they found it and trying to figure out why the behaviour would alarm Bones so much. The more he thought about it, the more he realized it _had _been a casual conversation and that it had probably been out of line, but there was something about Alianna that made him not care. As Bones stepped back and fixed his friend with an answer-expecting glare, Kirk sighed and closed his eyes. "I've been feeling fine, just… overworked and overwhelmed, I guess. This Klingon ship…" Jim looked at Bones a little more solidly, the muscles in his jaw working as he tried to find words to express what was going on with him. "Starfleet's on my ass because people keep dying and I don't have the slightest clue beyond hunting these Klingons down how to stop more people from dying. They have a weapon we've never heard of, we don't know how to defend against and they're targeting the Federation." The young captain chewed over his next words, his eyes falling to the floor. "I don't know what to do… I feel like I'm leading this crew into a battle we can't win."

"You feel useless."

Kirk looked up, a glare and biting words prepared. But they fell away. "Yes," he finally admitted, his shoulders falling and the usually cocky captain deflating; James T. Kirk wasn't someone who admitted he felt useless or weak in anyway.

"So you want to help Alianna and Sindari because you feel you can do something for them."

The captain narrowed his eyes, but his face softened abruptly into a familiar smirk. "You seem to know what you're talking about, Bones."

The doctor smiled. "Look, Jim, you've given them a place on the bridge and replaced what you could of the life they lost. There's nothing more you can do for them, and besides, Alianna and Sin can take care of themselves. I realize you feel they're the only ones you can really help right now, but you're not going to solve this Klingon problem by ignoring it."

Kirk was silent for a moment. "Sin, eh?"

Bones opened his mouth to give a retort, but closed it and turned away, to hide that he was flustered. "Speaking of the Klingons," he said, changing the subject as smoothly as he could. "I can give you more proof that they are who we're facing and that they have modified their weapons. Maybe it'll help get Starfleet off your ass." The doctor retrieved a data PADD from his office and handed it to his captain. "Doctor Peters contacted me with those images. Radiation burns have appeared on the bodies of the _Marissa_'s crew, and the burns are consistent with those from a Bird of Prey's phaser banks."

"So they modified their ship's weapons? I've never heard of anything like this. Not to this degree, anyway."

"I'm starting to believe that they have made some sort of alliance with someone possessing more sophisticated technology."

"Me too." Kirk looked at the PADD for a moment longer before handing it back to the doctor of the _Enterprise_ and sliding off the table. "Let me know if Doctor Peters shares any more research or if you come up with something. We're on the way towards the next ghost ship. I'll let you know when we get there."

"Sure."

Bones watched Captain Kirk leave sick bay and then looked down at the PADD in his hands. The black burns were gruesome things and would have been even if they weren't plastered all over the dead, grey flesh of the _Marissa_ crew members. He shut the PADD off and placed it on his work desk just as Sindari came striding in the room, a determined look in her eyes and a smile on her lips. She looked rather satisfied with herself. She leaned against the table beside him and crossed her arms under her chest, her expression shifting into her normal, wide grin.

"Guess what," she said, her green eyes sparkling mischievously.

Bones looked down at the yellow-clad weapons officer and shrugged, spreading his hand to either side, admitting defeat. "I'm stumped. What?"

Sindari frowned and playfully scowled at her friend for not actually guessing. "Well, I know this may not be the best time to have been thinking about this, but I've decided to go through and finish my medical training once we get back to Earth"

The doctor couldn't help but smile. Sindari had helped out in sick bay a few times and her help had been much appreciated and her desire to learn much needed. Bones had no doubt she would make an excellent medical officer once she was fully trained. "Well, good luck. And while you're stuck on the _Enterprise_, why don't you get a jump on your training?" He smiled as he made the proposition, knowing how she would respond.

"Really?"

"It's been a while since I took the basic medical courses at Starfleet, but I'd like to think I still have some wisdom to impart."

Sindari's answering grin was infectious. She ran her fingers back through her short red hair and then crossed her arm again. "Why don't you show me that report you said Dr. Peters was sending over? You said she found something on the bodies of the _Marissa_'s crew."

It took Bones a minute to recall that he had in fact discussed Dr. Peters' report with the younger Lordeck. In his thoughts, he paused, because for a moment, he understood why Kirk seemed to act differently around Alianna, and it wasn't just out of a desire to help her. There was something compelling about the Lordeck girls. They would make excellent interrogators.

Bones picked up the PADD and handed it to the red-head in front of him, impressed at her quick return to the business at hand. "Those burns appeared a few days ago and they're consistent with burns from Klingon weaponry."

"But for the burns to be the same on everyone on the ship, the Klingons would have had to modify the phaser banks on their ship." Sindari skimmed through the rest of the report and her cheeks turned faintly red. "Oh, it says that," she whispered, looking sheepishly up at the doctor.

"And the Captain's already knows about it too, but that's okay. You know, you process situations and information quickly."

"Yeah?"

"That's good for a doctor, especially a field medic."

Sindari gave that beaming smile again, but any words she might have had were cut off by Alianna's abrupt entrance into the medical bay, hands balled into fists as her arms swung viciously by her sides. Her long hair was unbound and there was a slightly wild look in her eyes, one neither her sister nor Bones found that surprising. She crossed the room and looked at Sindari, not seeming to register who she was seeing immediately. When she picked up that it was her sister, she nodded once and then turned those wild eyes to Bones, crossing her arms over her chest, mirroring her sister; the stance was a little more frightening on Alianna.

"I need something for pain that won't put me to sleep."

The doctor sighed and rolled his eyes. "Alianna, you just worked an overnight shift and if your hand it hurting again, you should get some rest." Bones lifted a hand to shut her up when she opened her mouth to protest. "You're going to make yourself sick if you keep going at this pace. You need to slow down."

"I have to go on that away team!"

"Why?"

Alianna opened her mouth but closed it again, her eyes falling to the floor. "I just have to, okay? And there isn't time to take a nap before we reach the coordinates of the ghost ship, and it's not my hand that hurts anyway. It's my head. I have a headache." When she looked back up at the doctor, her eyes were still stubborn, but the wild fire had gone out of them, replaced by the pain she was actually feeling.

"Oh, you are so lying," Sindari said, snickering.

Bones raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything to Sindari. "Go lay down," he said to Alianna. "Doctor's orders."

Alianna narrowed her eyes. "Fine," she snapped as she turned around. "But I hate you."

"I figured you might."

As the angry Lieutenant Commander left the medical bay, Bones turned to Sindari, who was smiling at him knowingly. "Need a translation?" she asked, a small smirk on her face.

"Well, if you're offering one. Your sister is..."

"Confusing? Chaotic? A mess?"

"I was going to say 'interesting' but you adjectives work too. So what's eating her this time?"

"What isn't eating her?" Sindari hopped on the bed Kirk had vacated moments before and started swinging her legs back and forth. "Sometimes, I wonder if Ali even knows what's wrong with her. She's just so based in instinct and emotion... she just goes with what her gut tells her, and it makes her great at interrogations and security work and kicking ass, but not so great at other social interactions." Sindari sighed and ran one hand back through her hair again. "She's still angry and upset about the _Marissa _and she's mad that her hand is broken and, from what I've heard from the night shift about what happened last night, flustered or something about Captain Kirk." The younger Lordeck looked at Bones, her face a lot softer than it had been when she'd walked into sick bay. There was also a heaviness to her shoulders that hadn't been there a moment before. "There's always so much going on with her..."

Bones looked at the young woman, contemplating everything she'd just said and the new slant to her appearance and demeanour. "You've spent your whole life looking out for her, haven't you?"

She looked startled, but she recovered quickly. "Uhm... Yeah, I guess I have, but don't take that the wrong way and hold it against her or something. Alianna would do and has done anything and everything I needed her to. She's a good sister and she knows how to take care of other people when she has to, but she never learned how to handle her own emotions. She never learned how to really take care of herself, so I do my best to help her. Alianna may be fiercely independent, but she needs someone to subtly guide her. If she doesn't have that than she'll just go off."

"And beat herself up? What does that accomplish?"

"It makes her angrier." Sindari smiled at her joke, but it faded quickly. "None of the conventional treatments have worked. She's had therapy and about every other treatment you could think of, but nothing helps, except for being able to snap at something. She's a lot less volatile and unpredictable when she's allowed to explode every once in a while."

"That doesn't make any sense."

The Junior Lieutenant rolled her eyes and smiled, shrugging a bit as if to say "that's Ali for you". Her eyes, and probably her memory, wandered for a few moments, a range of emotions playing quietly across her face as she remembered what Bones assumed to be key memories having to do with Alianna's volatile nature, one of the more recent of which was probably when she broke Kirk's nose on the back of her head. "Hey," she said suddenly, drawing herself and Bones out of their respective thoughts and sliding off the table. "Are you going to start teaching me or just question me about Ali?"

Bones pretended to think about it briefly before he gestured to his office, a small area in the back corner of the medical bay, separated by panels of glass and metal. Sindari smiled warmly, gave a little but dramatic bow and walked past him into said office, quite obviously excited to start her training.

* * *

"Distance to the _U.S.S. Castiel_?" Kirk asked as he settled himself into his command chair and absently scratched at the skin around the tape on his nose.

Instead of getting the answer he was after, he got a better one. "We are picking the ship up on long-range sensors, Captain," Spock said from his place at the science station. Kirk nodded and as if Spock could see the gesture through the back of his head, he continued speaking. "There are no life signs and there are no systems left operational, not even life support." The Vulcan turned his chair so he could face the captain, his face placid as usual. "It would seem the Klingons have changed their methods."

"It would seem..." Kirk spun in his own chair until he was staring straight out the viewer. "When we're within range, I want the ship on screen," he said. "Mr. Spock, why would they stop boarding the ship after attacking it?"

"I can only speculate, Captain, but logic dictates some circumstance changed and forced them to adapt. Perhaps something went wrong with their vessel and they were not able to complete the attack the way they normally would. Or perhaps they perfected their weapon and no longer needed to board the target vessel to check for survivors."

Kirk frowned and scratched at his face again. "The first option could work to our advantage, while the second one may prove disturbing..."

"We're within range, Captain," Chekov said. He slid his fingers over his console, brining a rather disturbing image onto the viewer at the front of the bridge.

The _U.S.S. Castiel _was a smaller ship than the other ghost vessels had been. It was a science vessel and wouldn't have stood a chance a regular attack from the Klingons; science ships just weren't equipped to handle much firepower. As it was, the ship was a wreck. Evidently, all systems had been disabled by the blast that had taken out much of the lower decks, and the resulting hole trailed debris and bodies as the ship moved slowly forward, propelled by whatever momentum had been left to it. Kirk's initial response was to ask if they could somehow get the containment shields back on and prevent any more of the _Castiel'_s crew from slipping into space, but he knew that wouldn't be possible, not in any reasonable amount of time anyway, so he did the next best thing he could think of.

"Bones," he said, pressing the comm. button on the arm of his chair. "The _Castiel _has lost all systems. We're going to beam the bodies into sick bay and take them to the nearest starbase. I don't want to lose anymore crewmen while we're towing the ship."

_"How many bodies are we talking, Jim?" _

"Standard science vessel compliment."

_"I don't know if we're going to have enough room down here."_

"Then use some of the empty quarters. We're not losing any more bodies."

_"All right. We're ready down here whenever." _

Kirk sighed and went to pinch the bridge of his nose between forefinger and thumb, but stopped, remembering at the last second that doing so would probably hurt like a bitch. "Mr. Scott," he said, pressing the comm. button again.

_"Aye Captain." _

"Lock onto the crewmen in space and beam them to sick bay. Then beam those still on the ship up to the transporter pad. Some of the medical staff will be there to take them to some of the empty guest quarters." Kirk sighed again, the weight of the situation settling on his shoulders. "That's the best we can do for them."

_"I'm on it Captain." _

As his crew moved about their tasks, Kirk settled further into his chair and stared at the ship hanging nearly motionless in space. "Are there any ion trails in the area?" he asked. He didn't direct the question at anyone, because he know only Spock would answer.

"Negative."

Kirk sighed again, feeling again as if his control was slipping away. There was still no sign of the Klingons, and now they had another ship full of dead Starfleet officers to take to another starbase, and someone, back on Earth, was going to be charged with the task of informing the families of those who were lost. As that thought entered his mind, Kirk thought of the families who had lost someone on the other ghost ships, of Alianna and Sindari who had lost their entire Starfleet family on board the _Marissa_. He had witnessed their grief first hand, and he knew there would be many families across the Federation who suffered the same sadness. The young Captain of the _Enterprise_ put his face in his hands, careful to avoid his nose, and put his elbows on his knees so he was leaning forward.

"_Captain?" _

He sat up abruptly and pressed the comm. button. "Yes Mr. Scott?"

_"All the crew are on board. We're ready to head out." _

"Thank you Mr. Scott." Kirk left his finger from the button. "Mr. Chekov, get that ship and a tractor beam, and Mr. Sulu, set course for the nearest starbase and inform me when we reach it."

When he had confirmation on his orders, Kirk pushed himself out of his chair and left the bridge, following the path he had only half an hour ago down to sick bay. The formally nearly empty bay was now almost full of bodies, lying still and stiff on the tables and on the floor, all covered by blankets and all being respectively checked over by Bones and his staff. Kirk was mildly surprised to see Sindari moving about the dead crewmen, using a tricorder to collect data, with a blank look on her normally very expressive face.

Kirk headed to Bones. "Where's the Captain?" he asked.

"She's in one of the empty guest quarters, down the hall from Alianna's room," he said without looking up. His voice was lower than normal, indicating he was focused on work above everything else.

Perfectly okay with that, the captain left the medical bay and headed back towards the turbolift. He punched the buttons that would take him down to the proper deck and leaned against the wall. At that moment, he was feeling more than useless and powerless. There was no immediate solution, and all he could think of to do was, after they had taken the ship and the bodies to the nearest starbase, to return to the location of the _Castiel _and try and find some sign of the Klingons. He didn't want to just fly around and wait for word of a Klingon ship or another ghost ship, not only because he knew Starfleet would demote him for sure and take the _Enterprise _away from him, but he wasn't sure he could bare it if any more people died because he couldn't find one damn ship.

The turbolift doors open and Kirk headed down the hall at a fast walk, intent on getting to the guest quarters without anyone seeing him, without anyone needing him to be their captain. He did make it, but when the doors to the quarters opened, he found two medical officers scanning the bodies and Alianna, standing with her arms wrapped around herself as she stared down at the body of the captain of the _Castiel_, lying on the bed.

Kirk navigated through the room carefully until he was standing beside her. His appearance didn't seem to distract her, so he didn't say anything, just stared down at the middle-aged captain and wished silently there weren't any children waiting for her back home. She was tall and thin with dark brown hair than blended nearly seamlessly with her dark skin. There was something dignified about her, even in death, and Kirk guessed she had been an excellent captain as well as intelligent; only the smartest on the command track were given science vessels to captain.

"I knew her," Alianna said.

Kirk looked sideways at her, frowning slightly. "Oh?"

"She was strict and proud. Excellent captain. Brave." Alianna looked up at Kirk, her face blank and unreadable. "She would have tried to fight them, right until the last second, like you."

He blinked, but didn't say anything. He took the compliment for what it was and nodded once. "Does she have any family?" he asked. Might as well quell the fears right away.

"Just a brother and an elderly mother, but that was several years ago, so I'm not really sure."

Kirk nodded. "I'm glad she had no children."

Alianna frowned slightly, put off by the initial impact of that statement, but her face softened as she gathered what her captain meant, agreeing with a curt nod. "Where are we taking them?" she asked.

"The starbase on the outskirts of the Sol system. It's the nearest one. I'll contact Starfleet once we get there and let them know what we found before we head out again and try to find these Klingons. We need to end this soon."

"You think Starfleet is going to leave you in charge of this investigation?"

Kirk smiled bitterly and crossed his arms loosely across his chest. "No, but we're going to do something about it regardless. I'm not leaving this in the hands of anyone else."

Alianna shifted so she was standing with her hands on her hips, a similarly bitter grin on her face. "So we're going to chase these Klingons regardless of what Starfleet says?" Kirk could only nod before Alianna continued speaking. "I'm game with that." Her green eyes turned back to the deceased captain on the bed beside her and she sighed. "We can't lose anyone else. We can't lose any more officers."

After another moment of silence, the two senior officers left the room, leaving the medical officers to their work, and started down the hall towards the turbolift.

"What did you find with the _Castiel, _sir?"

Kirk turned his head to look at Alianna as they walked. Her eyes were locked on the path she was walking and she was playing with one of her hair sticks, one long finger running idly along the bladed edge. Her lapse into formal speech was abrupt, but Kirk realized it was a way to avoid the emotions boiling inside, and with Alianna there was no other word. Her emotions just boiled and boiled over. So, Kirk would keep with the tone to keep her from giving into those emotions. "All systems were disabled and a large portion of the ship was destroyed," he said.

"The Klingons didn't board this ship?"

"Not that we can tell."

"It seems they're in a rush. They're must more disorganized."

Kirk frowned in thought, because neither he nor Spock had mentioned that possibility outright. "Are you suggesting they're devolving?"

"Yes sir."

He hadn't studied serial killers beyond the mentions in Earth history, but he knew the terminology and knew devolution was a pattern most, in Earth's history anyway, followed. To suggest the Klingon ship was behaving as sort of a collective sociopathic mind was something he probably never would have landed on. Spock might have gotten there eventually, but it was an interesting idea regardless of how it was reached, and it was, he realized the more he thought about it, quite possible. Maybe something had happened to their ship which necessitated the devolution.

As they neared the turbolift, the comm. system kicked in. _"Bridge to Captain Kirk." _

He stepped up to the panel on the wall and pressed a large button with his thumb. "Go ahead Uhura."

_"We've reached the starbase, sir. They've agreed to take the _Castiel _and her crew and contact Starfleet if you leave a message with them. There's also a gentleman docked who claims to have some information about the Klingons." _

Kirk looked at Alianna, who was frowning slightly, lost in her thoughts. "Bring him over to the _Enterprise_. I'll meet him in my office. Mr. Spock can handle the transfer of the _Castiel_'s crew."

_"Aye sir." _

When the connection died away, Kirk turned to Alianna. "Why don't you head up to the bridge and start your shift early?"

Alianna nodded, her tight bun bobbing slightly at the back of her head; the hair stick was back in place, and she looked immaculate as usual. Kirk watched her climb into the turbolift, and as the doors closed, he turned around and headed towards his quarters. He sat down behind his desk and waited, knowing the man who apparently had information wouldn't be long in arriving from the starbase. Kirk was correct, as about five minutes later, the chime sounded, and once he had admitted entrance, a short and slightly round man crossed the room at a brisk pace and dropped into the chair across the desk and shoved an older model of the data PADD across the desk, a lopsided grin on his round face.

Kirk smiled a very business-like smile and picked up the device, the thing responding quickly at his touch. A crystal-clear image of what looked like a hunk of metal floating in space appeared. Kirk frowned. "What is this?"

The man cleared his throat. "Well, sir. I'm not exactly sure, sir." He cleared his throat again and then continued speaking in his thin voice; there was something about the man that screamed merchant, and probably one who dealt in illegal things, but he wasn't something Kirk had to worry about right now. "It flew past my ship on the edge of the system, sir, and I thought it looked like a Klingon Bird of Prey... Or, the wing of one at least."

Captain Kirk peered at the image, and then zoomed in on the picture, the PADD automatically focusing the image as it moved. It was a colour somewhere between grey and green, with lines of rust between the panels making up the hull. It was definitely a part of a ship and it was made up of all sharp angels. It did look like a Bird of Prey, but Kirk had never heard of only a part of the cloaking device becoming disabled on a Klingon ship, and that made it all the more likely that it was the ship they were looking for. He stared at the image for a moment longer and then looked up at his guest and forced another business smile.

"Where was this image taken?" Kirk asked.

"On the edge of the Sol system, sir. Your first officer already had all the information transferred into your ship's computers, sir."

Kirk rolled his eyes at all the sirs but didn't say anything. It was clear the man was anxious. "Thank you. This will be useful. If you head back to the transporter room, Mr. Scott will see you safely back to your ship," Kirk said as he handed the PADD back to its owner.

The man opened his mouth to say something, but took one look at the hard expression on Kirk's face and closed it again. He gave a little nod of the head and then turned and hurried away, leaving the Captain sitting at his desk, contemplating the new information. Kirk was only at it for a moment, before he got to his feet and headed for the turbolift that would take him to the bridge, and there was a smile on his face because not only did they finally have another lead, but it seemed maybe he wasn't as useless as he had been feeling.

Not to mention this, along with Bones' report, would almost certainly get Starfleet off his ass.

* * *

**Author's Note.**

UNINTENTIONAL SYMBOLISM! Let's see who can find it… I'll give you a hint. It has to do with Kirk's broken nose, and it's something I didn't mean to put in my story. Shauna, you don't get to guess.

Hey, this proves my theory that some of the symbolism and crap English teachers find in books is accidental! Go me!

Anyways, moving on from the insane chatter of an insane author, if you can even do that…

I'm going to finish the first book of my Supernatural fanfiction (only one chapter left) and then I'm going to concentrate on this fic and Chances Are, my fic that goes along with The Dark Knight. Once finished, I will work on Joke's On You and possibly the sequel to this story, depending on how the end of this fic is received.

That's the plan.

And dude, I got a new laptop with Windows 7. I kinda love it. I haven't quite gotten used to everything yet though, so we'll see how long that takes me...

By the way, in case anyone is wondering, Bones is using bandages and stuff because in the new movie he uses them and in several instances in The Original Series, he gives actual pills and using physical medical stuff rather than just hyposprays and whatnot.

Enjoy the chapter! (Does anyone else find it weird that I always say this at the _end _of the chapter?)

**Next Chapter: Another Lead. **


	10. Chapter Ten: Ships on Top of Ships

I do not own Star Trek or anything to do with said franchise. However, I own Alianna Lordeck and co-own Sindari Lordeck and this plot. This fic is based on the new movie, and thus, takes place in the alternate universe of the movie. It's rated for lots of bad language and some sexual scenes (let's face it, it is Captain Kirk we're talking about), and violence and some drinking. You know, standard stuff. Should be lots of fun and I apologize in advance if any of the information about Star Trek is wrong. I've tried to do research, but hey, with eleven movies, five live-action shows and one animated show, along with multiple books and such, getting all the facts straight is kind of hard. Anyways, enjoy.

* * *

**Ain't No Rest for the Wicked  
**Chapter Ten: Ships On Top of Ships.

* * *

After the meeting with the shady merchant, Kirk once again settled himself in his command chair on the bridge and the crew, suddenly on edge, started scanning for any sign of the Klingon ship. For the first time since this had all begun, they had a good lead, a strong lead, and somewhere to go. It was a thin ray of hope, but that's what it was and they were all clinging to it. Eventually, Spock found a faint ion trail and the _Enterprise _took off at maximum warp, hoping to close the distance to the Klingons as quickly as possible. The bridge remained eerily silent as they moved through space, and Kirk would have bet anything everyone was worried about what meeting up with that ship would mean; Kirk's thoughts drifted in that direction as well, so it wasn't like he could blame them for thinking that.

What could they do to stand up to a weapon they knew almost nothing about?

How could they quell this uprising without bringing the entire Klingon Empire down on their heads?

At the end of the current shift, Kirk was still sitting in his chair, and he remained there as the usual shift, Spock, Uhura, Sulu, Chekov and the rest, filed off to get some rest and the so-called night shift—there wasn't an actually day or night in space but since most, if not all, of the crew was familiar with the human ideals of day and night, that's what they went with—appeared at their stations, ready to take over. Kirk felt someone standing at his shoulder and turned around to find Sindari Lordeck, looking more contemplative than he remembered seeing her in the short time he'd known her. Her brow was furrowed and her green eyes were narrowed as she stared at the floor, seemingly seeing something no one else could.

"Lieutenant?"

Her head snapped up and, upon realizing her captain wasn't standing in front of her, looked down into his blue eyes. "Uh, yes Captain?"

"Did you need something?" Kirk asked with a raised eyebrow.

She huffed and looked around, searching for the right words to express whatever she was thinking. "Uh, no, sorry. It's... not important, Captain, sorry." With a shaky smile, Sindari turned and left the bridge, far behind the others from her shift.

Several decks below the bridge, Sindari stepped off the turbolift and headed down the hall, her hands clasped behind her back and her face mirroring the expression she'd had on the bridge. She was heading for her quarters to try and get some rest, when something appeared in her path, stopping her from heading forward. Ready to give the obstruction what for, Sindari looked up, but the bravado died as she took in Commander Spock, standing straight and still before her.

"It might prove more effective to watch where you are going, Lieutenant," he said calmly. Sindari stammered for a moment before muttering an apology and attempting to move around the Vulcan. She didn't get very far however, as Spock placed a hand lightly on her arm, stopping her advance. "Is there something bothering you, Lieutenant? You seem uncharacteristically distracted."

Startled by the question, Sindari raised her eyebrow, not unlike the Vulcan commander in front of her, and answered honestly, expressing the fear she hadn't been able to bring up to the Captain as he didn't need anything else to worry about. "I'm just worried."

"That is logical. Most of the crew is worried about the upcoming confrontation."

Sindari almost laughed. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

Spock paused and tilted his head slightly to one side. Before Sindari could apologize for dropping into informal speech like she had, he said, "No. I suppose it would not make you feel any better. I only meant to inform you that you are not the only one with doubts in this situation."

Sindari's face split in a wide grin and she was thoroughly amused at the Vulcan's words. "I know I'm not the only one with doubts, but thank you for the words Commander Spock."

He nodded, once. "You are welcome, Lieutenant."

The young woman smiled and continued her trek down the hall, feeling a little better than she had before. She knew Vulcans experienced emotion as much or more than humans and just learned to control them. But, not for the first time, Sindari wondered if in learning that control, they lost the knowledge of how to deal with the emotions of others. It wasn't that Spock couldn't perceive how others were feeling, but he seemed to be lacking the... well, for lack of a better word, human touch.

As she changed out of her yellow uniform and into the large purple nightshirt and settled into her bed, Sindari's thoughts shifted to the Klingons and their super weapon. She'd spent many of her spare moments trying to figure how exactly the Klingons could have either developed or gotten their hands on such a thing, and, as had always been the case before, she couldn't come up with anything beyond kidnapping some scientists from the race who originally developed the weapon or stealing the weapon itself. It was doubtful they'd made an alliance with someone and obtained the technology that way, as the Klingons didn't exactly have a history of working well with others, and the weapon didn't seem like something to be willingly given to a war-minded race.

They had already encountered several ships completely wiped out by these Klingons, and having just left the crew of the _U.S.S. Castiel _with the staff on the space station, the impact was still resonating. It seemed since Kirk, Bones and the rest had rescued them from the Orion slave ship, everything had started to move at warp speed and it was hard for Sindari to wrap her head around everything. She and Alianna had quickly become a part of the _Enterprise_'s crew, and even though the bonds they shared weren't as strong as the ones they had had on the _Marissa_, they were becoming part of a new family. At the same time, so many Federation officers were dying, being murdered by Klingons and this incident would eventually cause the tensions between the Federation and Klingon Empire to rise. The future consequences were starting to become readily apparent and amidst all the changes going on in her personal life, it was almost too much to handle.

Just as Sindari was falling asleep, the PA system kicked in, summoning all senior officers to the bridge. Cursing loudly to the empty air of her room, the younger Lordeck pulled herself out from the warmth of the blankets and dressed herself in a clean uniform. She brushed her short red hair into order and then re-entered the hallway. She had a feeling her next shift was going to start very early.

Up on the bridge, Sindari encountered her crewmates, blurry-eyed and looking none too happy about being pulled out of bed after virtually no sleep. Of course, they had to be there and they were all anxious to catch the Klingons, but no one liked be woken up. The night shift were still sitting at their consoles and the senior officers were standing almost in a line behind the command chair with the exception of Spock and McCoy who were standing to one side of the chair and Alianna, who was directly behind it, her arms crossed over her chest and her hair pulled back in a quick ponytail instead of its usual bun. Sindari moved to stand beside her dishevelled-looking sister, hoping that she looked better after being pulled out of bed. The younger sister opened her mouth to ask what was up when her eyes found the viewer and she didn't have to ask.

They had found another ship, but this one was still functioning. There were lights on and, over the hole the Klingons had blown in the side of the ship, the containment shield flickered, showing that the systems, or most of them, were still intact. It was a good sign for more than one reason. People might still be alive on the ship and there was something definitely wrong with the Klingon ship they were chasing.

"I'm getting life signs," one of the ensigns on the bridge said. "None of them are Klingon."

The crew had arrived in the middle of a scan. Kirk shot out of his chair at the report and started issuing orders, throwing together a plan on the fly. "Bones and Alianna with me. Scotty, take a team over and see what shape the _Intrepid_ is in, anyone with medical training get down to the medical bay and prepare to receive the wounded."

Alianna shared a brief glance with her sister before following the young Captain and the doctor into the main turbolift. Scotty headed back to Engineering to gather up his team and Sindari joined the few other bridge officers who had medical training. She swallowed the lump in her throat and tried to swallow the building panic and anticipating building in her gut. Sindari wasn't exactly sure why she was nervous or what she was afraid would happen, but the nagging feeling was there and she didn't want to know what it was preceding.

* * *

As the last lines of light disappeared from her vision as she felt stable enough to move under her own power, Alianna took point and headed down the hall, phaser out in front and eyes alert. There hadn't been any Klingon life signs in the scan, but that didn't mean they weren't there. The crew of the _Enterprise _had learned not to put anything past these Klingons, and since Alianna was the head of security, she put herself in the line of fire before her Captain and before the chief medical officer. It only made sense. Once she had deemed the immediate area was safe, however, she rose out of her combat position and stood more at ease with her phaser still out of its holster.

They had rematerialized in the corridor just outside the bridge. There was a thin haze of smoke hanging around and the faint fizzles and pops of damaged wiring and technology filled the air. The only other noise—faint yells, moans and voices—was hopeful. Several people at least had survived this attack.

The small away team moved towards the bridge, Alianna in front of Bones and Kirk. As they reached the door however, it did not open, and the three officers spent the better part of five minutes prying it open. Grateful cries greeted them as did the smiling faces of the crew which had been stuck on the bridge. A tall, thin man with silver hair pulled back in a low ponytail that fell to the middle of his back, and flat gray eyes approached them first, a smile on his pale face, but it was an expression that didn't reach his eyes; the Captain looked tired so Alianna deduced the lack of light in his expression was from that and not for lack of caring.

"I can't tell you how glad I am to see you," the man said, his voice rough, like there was sandpaper scraping his throat as he talked.

Kirk offered the older captain a smile which lasted all of about a second. "What exactly happened?"

Bones took the opportunity to move away from Kirk and Alianna, his blue-clad form drifting from crew member to crew member, making sure no one was seriously injured. Alianna remained at Kirk's side, her phaser holstered for the time being, and her arms, as they so often were, crossed under her chest. She kept her peripheral vision on the captain of the _Intrepid_ as her green eyes swivelled around the bridge, keeping an eye on everything. Or trying to, at least.

"We were heading back to Earth," the silver-haired man said. "And this... thing came out of nowhere. We didn't realize it was a ship—let along a Klingon ship—until it was too late. They fired a few shots before they disappeared, taking out our vital systems." He paused, his thin mouth dipping into a frown. "I don't think they wanted to be followed, but this," he said, gesturing to the bridge around him, which was a mess, "was unnecessary. We didn't even see them. They were _cloaked_ until they started firing on us. If they had stayed cloaked, we wouldn't have been able to see them, let alone follow them."

Kirk nodded thoughtfully and shot a quick gaze in Alianna's direction. She just returned the gaze, unsure of what to say, if anything. "Don't waste energy trying to figure these Klingons out," the young Captain said finally. "They're not working with or for the Empire. They've got their own agenda."

"What? We haven't had any reports—"

"You won't have had any." Kirk ran one hand back through his hair before turning his blue eyes back to Alianna. "Take Bones and head through the rest of the ship. Transport anyone who needs immediate medical attention to the _Enterprise_."

"Yes sir."

The _U.S.S. Intrepid _was a small vessel so the orders wouldn't take long to fulfill. Alianna retrieved Bones from where he was having a conversation with one of the crew about the medical facilities on board and they headed to the turbolift. The first three decks were clear of serious injuries and everyone who was scraped or bruised or had a gash or broken finger was taken care of; the ship's own medical personnel were also moving about the decks, treating the wounded. The _Intrepid_'s medical bay was full to capacity with those needing serious attention. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be many more of those.

As Alianna and Bones were preparing to leave their fifth deck of inspection however, a low, pained cry for help reached their ears.

"Could you tell where that came from?" Alianna asked.

Bones was already scanning the area with his tricorder, his eyes narrowed under a brow furrowed in concentration as he poured over the readings. "That way," he said after a moment, using his free hand to gesture.

Once again, Alianna took point, but this time her position had nothing to do with protecting her companion. This time it was all about finding whoever needed help. She had to turn sideways to enter the partially open doors of the room, as well as duck beneath a fallen panel of the ceiling; her ponytail caught on something and pulled painfully at her scalp, but regardless, she was already halfway into the rubble-strewn room by the time the more muscular doctor had made it through the door behind her.

"Where are you?" she yelled into the seemingly empty quarters.

"Here..."

She turned her head in the direction of the faint voice. It was coming from the bathroom area of the quarters, the entrance to which was blocked by another section of the ceiling; after a brief second of deliberation as she moved, Alianna determined this area of the ship was just above the hole she'd seen from the _Enterprise_ and that was why it was nearly destroyed. Alianna dropped to her stomach and army-crawled forward, underneath the debris. She nearly stopped breathing as her green eyes found a tiny hand. Tears burned the back of her eyes, tears of anger, and she clawed her way forward, wedging herself in as far as she could go so she could grab the little hand. A muted triumph passed through as the hand wrapped around as much of hers as it could, even though the grip was weak.

"It's okay," she said. "We'll get you out of here..."

Alianna pulled herself even farther in, ignoring the rubble as it pressed tighter from all sides. She could be beamed out, she wasn't worried about getting stuck. Keeping one hand in the child's, she manoeuvred a chunk of metal until she could see a face.

He was young, probably only six or seven, with pale brown hair and deep chocolate eyes. There was a deep gash on his cheek, but that wasn't the worst of his injuries, not by a long shot. His left leg was bent at an awkward angle, probably broken in more than one place, and there were three shards of the plastic that usually surrounded the sonic shower stalls sticking out of his chest and abdomen. His skin was ashen and his hand was growing clammy under Alianna's grasp.

He was dying.

"Bones!" she yelled, never taking her eyes from the little boy's. "We've got a little boy back here. He's severely injured!"

"I'll get the _Enterprise _to beam us to sick bay. Hold on."

Alianna forced herself to smile for the boy. "We're going to get you out of here. What's your name?"

"Sage..." he croaked.

"Okay Sage. Hold on. You're going to be fine."

She kept smiling as the familiar bands of light whipped around her and the boy and a few second later, they were lying on the floor in sick bay and the staff was converging on them. Hands lifted Sage onto a nearby table. He was bleeding. A lot. Too much. The shards in his gut should have stopped him from bleeding out. Alianna pushed herself to her feet and then it came to her.

She hadn't told Bones there were foreign objects to transport with the boy.

He was going to bleed out and it was her fault.

The surly doctor was already working on Sage, trying to get the bleeding under control. There seemed to be too much of it for his little body and there was definitely too much for Bones to control.

But that didn't stop him from trying.

Alianna looked down at Sage—they had sedated him immediately upon his arrival, so he was out—and whispered, "I'm sorry." Then she turned and left the medical bay, unwilling to watch the little boy she'd tried to save die.

* * *

The Green-Eyed Man was appalled with the lack on self-control on display in front of him. Krang, who had originally appeared calm and collected—for a Klingon—was raving and screaming at the top of his voice in the guttural language native to him about how the Green-Eyed Man had failed to hold up his end of their bargain and how he should rip his head from his shoulders as revenge for this betrayal. Since the burly Klingon captain had started on his tirade about ten minutes ago, the Green-Eyed Man had remained, standing stoically in front of the command chair and not saying a word.

_"We should have just taken out those ships! Regardless of the consequence!"_

That statement pulled words from his lips however. _"If we had used the weapon on either of the last two Federation vessels, Krang, your ship would have exploded. Everyone on board would have died."_

_"It is honourable for Klingons to die in battle." _

_"This isn't a battle, Krang. We are waging a stealth war here. Trying to take the Federation down without them knowing who is behind their destruction." _

_"This was all a mistake! Klingons do not fight stealth battles!"_

_"It's too late now to turn back, Krang, so you're going to have to trust me. I will get us through this and I will get us through this alive." _

_"We should attack the Federation's headquarters now! End this as soon as possible!"_

The Green-Eyed Man balled his hands into fists and tried vainly to stare down the Klingon captain. With the warrior being close to two feet taller than him and a lot wider, that was difficult. However, the human managed to hold his ground. He wasn't afraid of the Klingons. If they killed him, it wouldn't be the end of the anger with the Federation. There were lots of people displeased with how things were going. Yes, he would hate to leave his wife behind and he supposed he would miss his children, but there were more important things to him than family.

_"Krang, we will find someone who can repair the weapon—"_

_"We will not! We will attack the Federation now!"_

_"You will die!"_

_"Then it will be an honourable death!"_

* * *

Alianna stood outside the sick bay, leaning on the wall with tears rolling down her cheeks.

Things were moving so fast and everything was hitting her so hard.

First the loss of the _Marissa_, of the only man she'd ever considered a father and all her friends. It still stung like a wound that was rubbed raw again as soon as it had healed. Every ghost ship they'd stumbled upon had made her infuriated, devastated and thirst for revenge, but those were all emotions she'd learned—for the most part—to keep hidden.

But Sage...

Seeing a child nearly killed because of those damn Klingons...

Alianna sobbed and cried harder, sinking to her butt on the floor of the hallway.

The little boy was still in sick bay and no one had come out to tell her how he was doing. Not that anyone would know she cared to find out, but still... She covered her mouth with her hand as she sobbed again and pulled her knees up to her chest.

"Ali?"

Her head snapped up and she looked at Bones. Instantly, she tried to force herself to stop crying. Kirk had seen her cry. That was enough. Bones didn't need to see it too. But, try as she might, the tears wouldn't stop. The sobs turned to savage hiccups and she started to hyperventilate.

"Ali..." Bones squatted in front of her and propped himself up with elbows on his knees. He smiled when she looked at him again. "Ali, it's okay. Sage is going to live."

Her only response was to cry harder, but this time, in happiness, which wasn't something she could ever remember doing.

* * *

**Author's Note.**

So, if you follow me as an author and don't just watch this story, you know that I've started more fanfiction when I said I wasn't going to... I'm not sure what that means for this fic, but I'll try to keep updating at a semi-regular pace anyways. This one is about halfway done, so it hopefully won't take too much longer. I guess we'll see won't we?

Enjoy this chapter!

**Next Chapter: The Breaking Point. **


	11. Chapter Eleven: The Breaking Point

I do not own Star Trek or anything to do with said franchise. However, I own Alianna Lordeck and co-own Sindari Lordeck and this plot. This fic is based on the new movie, and thus, takes place in the alternate universe of the movie. It's rated for lots of bad language and some sexual scenes (let's face it, it is Captain Kirk we're talking about), and violence and some drinking. You know, standard stuff. Should be lots of fun and I apologize in advance if any of the information about Star Trek is wrong. I've tried to do research, but hey, with eleven movies, five live-action shows and one animated show, along with multiple books and such, getting all the facts straight is kind of hard. Anyways, enjoy.

* * *

**Ain't No Rest for the Wicked  
**Chapter Eleven: The Breaking Point.

* * *

Kirk stood several feet away from Alianna for a long time, just leaning on the wall, watching her and waiting to see if she would notice his presence; after his experience with the elder Lordeck, Kirk thought it best that he not startle her, especially when she was emotionally volatile. She did not. She remained tucked into a ball with her back pressed against the wall and her face buried in her knees and her arms wrapped tightly around her legs, so tightly in fact, that her knuckles, where she gripped her opposites wrists, were white. Her hair, still bound in a loose ponytail was fanned across her shoulders. She was shaking, but it was a fine trembling, and Kirk wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't been watching her for as long as he had; if he didn't know any better, he would have thought she was crying, but that wasn't something Alianna did.

Eventually, Kirk decided to take his chances and squatted in front of her. "Ali?" he whispered, placing a hand lightly on her arm.

She started, her head snapping up and her normal fire evident in her eyes, but only for a moment. That flame snuffed out when she saw it was Kirk and her tense body unwound as she sagged into his hand. "What?" she barked, her voice rough and fairly exhausted-sounding.

Kirk narrowed his eyes slightly, taking in the wet lines on her cheeks; she _had _been crying. "Ali, what's wrong?" he asked, his voice still quiet. There was no one in the hall, and there wasn't likely to be anyone in this hall for a while, thanks to its out-of-the-way location, so he brushed a few strands of her hair back from her face, unafraid to show a little more compassion towards her. She responded to it, tilting her head slightly to prolong the contact with his fingers.

"That ship... they attacked _kids_..." she managed around soft sobs. She was _still _crying.

Kirk frowned and moved his hand backwards to rest behind her ear. "There were no kids among the casualties. They all survived."

Alianna pushed Kirk's hand away from her face and turned her green eyes up to him, a deep frown taking over her face and the tears started falling faster. "That isn't the point," she gasped. " They attacked a ship with children on it. Children who haven't had any training. They don't know how to deal with combat situations..." She sighed heavily and put her head back against the wall with a dull thud. "And Sage..." The tears fell faster and faster and she sobbed once, out loud. "Sage almost died because of a stupid mistake I made... Bones saved him, but what if..."

"He had died?"

Alianna shot a dangerous glare at him, but he didn't let it faze him. He stared at her until she dropped the glare and then he sat down beside his head of security and sighed. Bones had told him about the little boy Alianna had saved on the _Intrepid _and how transporting him without the shrapnel inside had caused him to almost bleed out while Alianna was still holding his hand. It had been close, but the doctor of the _Enterprise_'s crew had put the kid back together no problem. But Alianna had still not taken it well. She blamed herself and she was appalled at the idea of anyone attacking a vessel with children aboard. According to Bones, she had been crying pretty much since they had found Sage buried under a pile of rubble on the _Intrepid._

"Ali," he said, "if Sage had died, it would have been _horrible_, but it wouldn't have been your fault." When she looked up at him, her expression asking what he thought he was doing, he shrugged with the shoulder closest to her and gave her a half-smile. "Hey, I'm not very good at this. I've never had to console someone before."

The green-eyed woman gave him a small smile in return, a feeble light behind all those tears. "Well, I appreciate it, but it's not going to make me feel any better about this... If I had told Bones there were something sticking out of the kid's gut..."

"They would have had to take the shrapnel out here and he would have almost bled out anyway."

"But if he had bled out because of my mistake, it would have been my fault!" she barked, sitting forward, stray strands of hair flying dramatically away from her face. She wasn't even looking at Kirk anymore. She was staring at the wall opposite, her legs stretched out in front of her and a very defeated set to her shoulders. She was crying harder. "I would have killed him! He would have died because of me! That innocent little boy..." Something left Alianna and she sagged backwards, her shoulders thudding heavily against the wall, preventing her head from taking the blow. "He was on that ship with his parents... his family... They're probably all dead..." She deflated farther, sliding down the wall until she looked like little more than a discarded doll.

Kirk slid his arm around her waist and hauled her back into a sitting position, where she just slumped against him instead. "Sage lived, Ali. He's alive because you saved him. You can't forget that."

Alianna pressed her face into Kirk's shoulder and mumbled something that sounded like, "I know."

The young captain brushed some of her mussed hair from her face and, in the process, pushed her face back so he could look her in the eye. "Ali, you did save that boy. You have no reason to be upset."

Alianna was silent for a moment, except for the soft sobs still issuing from her lips. "You really aren't any good at this," she said eventually, head tilted into his hand. Kirk laughed and even got a small chuckle out of Alianna. As the moment passed, Alianna shifted so she could lean her head on her captain's shoulder and sighed heavily, the gesture shaking with her exhaustion from crying.

"Well, it really isn't part of my captain's duties, now is it?"

"I suppose it's not…" Alianna paused to wipe her tears from her cheeks. Then, she looked at him, a curious look in her eyes. "Why aren't you on the bridge?" she asked.

The change in topic caught him a little off guard. "Er, well, Scotty's finishing up with the _Intrepid _and Spock is scanning for the Klingon ship, so... there's nothing really for me to do up there except oversee things. I figured my time would be better spent checking on the injured from the _Intrepid_ and the other members of their crew who have come on board. While I was in sick bay, Bones mentioned something about you disappearing back here and not coming back so I thought I'd come and check it out."

"He told you I was here? I came back her to get some peace and quiet."

"Well, he didn't exactly tell me you were here. He said he hadn't seen you since he told you Sage was going to be okay. All he told me was that you were shaken by the boy almost dying, so I figured you'd want some peace and where better to go for that than this hall that's usually empty?" Kirk smiled warmly at Alianna when she twisted her neck to look up at him without moving her head from his shoulder. "I came back here to make sure you were all right, but also because I needed a moment of peace."

"Huh, that's not usually an adjective I hear in conjunction with my name," she said, one corner of her mouth pulling up at the same time her eyebrow lifted in that Vulcan-like way.

Kirk smiled a smile of genuine warmth. "No, but in this case it's valid."

"If you say so…"

They sat like that, Alianna leaning on Kirk's shoulder and his arm pinned behind her back, for several long minutes in a companionable silence. Around them, they could hear the noises of the _Enterprise _working and moving, and the subtle hum of chatter coming from the sick bay behind them and the corridor around the corner, which was one of the main passages of the ship, well-travelled and usually quite busy. Alianna found it odd that there was this little pocket of peace on such a busy ship, but she welcomed it, and, as was evident in her comfort with the captain, she welcomed him in that moment as well. Kirk wasn't going to pretend he wasn't surprised by her change in attitude, but if what Bones had told him about her reaction to the little boy being attacked was accurate, then her sudden placidness wasn't completely unexpected.

Eventually Alianna sat up, pulling her head from his shoulder and looked at him, her eyes still shimmering with the tears she had shed for Sage and for the other children attacked on the _Intrepid. _After another languid moment, Kirk broke the eye contact and pushed himself to his feet, extending his hand back down to the distraught security officer and pulling her to her feet when she wrapped her fingers around his wrist.

Once on her feet, Alianna wrapped her arms around Kirk and said, "Thank you, Jim."

Startled, Kirk returned the hug. "You're welcome?"

She laughed. It turned into a sob on the tail end, but she stifled it.

"Are you going to be okay, Ali?"

She nodded against his neck and said, "Eventually."

James Kirk, captain of the starship _Enterprise_, found himself unable to let Alianna go, or unwilling to do so. The realization startled him and he stepped back rather hastily. Alianna looked offended for a second, but then she started laughing and covered her mouth to keep the noise down. He smiled and joined in the laughter.

"Am I interrupting something? Uh, Captain?"

The senior bridge officers turned as one to stare at Sindari, who was standing at the mouth of the hallway, her arms crossed over her chest. The expression on her face mirrored the Vulcan-like one her sister sometimes wore, but there was a comical edge to hers, like she was containing her own laughter, which she probably was. "No, Lieutenant Lordeck, you're not," Kirk said. "What is it?"

"Commander Spock has located the Klingon ship, sir."

Kirk nodded and sighed, gently rubbing the corners of his eyes around the tape on his nose, preparing himself for the undoubtedly taxing hours that were to follow. When he looked up, he found Alianna's eyes before he turned and headed down the hall towards the turbolift that would take him up to the bridge; if Alianna hadn't known any better, she would have sworn the captain was blushing. Sindari looked from her sister to Kirk and back again.

"What was that about?" she asked.

Alianna waved her sister's concern away and wiped the remainder of her tears from her eyes and cheeks. "Nothing. He was just filling me in about the injured from the _Intrepid_."

"And you were laughing about it?"

"No."

"Why _were_ you laughing?"

"None of your business." Alianna pushed past Sindari and headed towards another turbolift, one that would take her to the deck where her quarters were located. She tried to ignore her sister trotting along behind her, trying to catch up, but gave up when she realized Sindari wasn't going to disappear. "Shouldn't you be up on the bridge?" she snapped.

"Shouldn't you?"

"I have to change."

Alianna was still covered in dust, dirt and grime from being part of the away team on the _Intrepid, _and there were several small tears resulting from crawling around through the twisted metal and other rubble from the semi-destroyed ship. She looked very dishevelled, which was uncharacteristic for her, someone normally so put together at least when it came to appearance. There was also something off in her behaviour. The crying in public—something she hadn't done since she was very young—made her seem like she was falling apart at the seams. But that could have just been an observation made by her sister, although Sindari was sure others had noticed too.

When they reached Alianna's quarters, Sindari followed her older sister inside and flopped on the bed as she waited for Alianna to get ready. The rather distraught Starfleet officer discarded the torn uniform and had a quick sonic shower before pulling on a fresh uniform and pulling her hair back into its usual bun, a pair of shiny silver hair sticks completing her normal look. She didn't even take a minute to pull herself together. Once she was clean and dressed, Alianna was moving out of the room, into the hall and towards the turbolift, leaving Sindari to run to keep up.

"Are you okay?" she asked once she had caught up.

"I'll be fine once we stop these Klingons."

"Are you so worked up because there were kids on that last ship?"

Alianna stopped and turned around so she could face her sister and let her see the anguish still plaguing her. "Of course that's why. But I can't let it bother me anymore. We've got a job to do."

Sindari nodded, impressed but not surprised by her sister's ability to push personal things behind when she had to. She had had her freak outs and break downs and was motivated by a need for revenge, but Alianna had managed to keep moving, keep working when a lot of people would have just sat down, stopped and grieved. Sindari had no doubt her sister wanted to do just that, and she had no doubt that the little episode in the hall had something to do with Alianna reaching her limit. As much as she wanted to believe otherwise, even Alianna had to stop at some point and take a break.

The sisters made it to the bridge and found everyone in combat mode. They hadn't actually engaged the Klingons yet, but there was a thick air of anticipation. Alianna and Sindari took over their stations on either side of the command chair, the elder Lordeck catching Kirk's eye and nodding once before she turned her attention fully to her console, checking the status of their shields, weapons and other vital systems before calling up and checking every feed for any sign of security infringement. Finding nothing of import or interest, Alianna settled back on her feet and rested one hand on her phaser in its belt, her green eyes glued to the view screen, watching for any sign of the Klingon ship.

"We have backed out of sensor range," Spock said from the science station.

"Good. Keep us at this distance until we can determine what shape they're in." Kirk leaned on one arm of the chair, his head supported by his hand and a determined look on his face.

"Their cloaking device is still engaged, Captain. There seems to be a problem with the emitters on the starboard wing, leaving it uncloaked." The Vulcan science officer leaned a little farther over his console, his dark eyes moving rapidly back and forth as he soaked up the information. "Our scans might be able to penetrate into the ship if we get close enough to that wing."

Kirk nodded, informing his friend that he had heard, but didn't say anything in response. "Mister Sulu, if you can get us close enough, we can scan, but make sure we have a path for rapid escape. We don't want to give them a chance to use that weapon of theirs on us."

"Aye, sir."

"Captain," Spock interjected, "I'm picking up a fluctuating weapon signature."

Sindari's fingers danced across her own console before the captain could respond. "He's right, Captain. It has the same markers as Klingon phasers, but there are a few variations. They aren't stable."

Spock nodded, confirming Sindari's assessment when Kirk looked to the science officer. "Due to the nature of the weapon, and that there are no records of it in any databases, is it logical to assume it is largely untested. The Klingons may not know it is unstable or they may not think it poses any danger."

"Does it?" The tone in Kirk's voice as he asked told the crew that he thought it did, but he wanted a confirmation and an explanation.

"If they use the weapon again or we hit it with our own phaser fire, the result would be the same as if a phaser overloaded, but on a much larger scale."

The gravity of that statement settled around the bridge, as everyone no doubt started picture the explosion that would result, destroying the Klingon ship and possibly taking the _Enterprise _with it. The bridge crew remained silent for a long time, until Chekov pointed out the viewer, his eyes suddenly wide with fear and the excitement that came with it.

"Keptin! The Klingons are moving!"

Everyone turned and looked, expecting to see the seemingly disembodied wing moving farther away, and there was almost a collective gasp as they saw the ship moving towards them. Their cloaking device wavered away, bringing the Bird of Prey into view. It was quite obviously an older ship which had seen a lot of combat: there were discoloured panels where repairs had been made, very noticeable patches of rust lined the joints between hull panels, speaking of some time spent planetside, and there was an assortment of dents, dings and scratches decorating nearly every inch of the brown-gray hull.

"They're charging weapons," Sindari informed the bridge. After a brief second she added, "Regular phasers, sir."

"Shields."

A barrage of weapon fire slashed through the space between the two vessels and fizzled out against the _Enterprise_'s shields. Not wanting to detonate the unstable weapons array onboard, the Starfleet ship just faced down the Klingons.

"Hail them," Kirk ordered.

"No response. Everything indicates they're receiving our signal, so they must be ignoring us, Captain," Uhura said, fiddling with her communications controls and trying to see if she could get anything.

Finding they weren't going to get a response from the _Enterprise _and evidently not going to give a response to the hails, the Klingon Bird of Prey made a turn much sharper than anyone would have thought possible, and took off at warp—something none of the _Enterprise_'s crew would have thought possible by looking at the ship—trying to get away before the superior vessel decided to attack. Luckily, with the ship malfunctioning the way it was, it left a faint trail. Kirk made the command and Sulu took off after the Klingons, matching their speed and heading the best he could with only momentary scans to go from and the faint trail. The stars stretched into long, thin lines as the warp bubble was created and the ship gave a small lurch as it moved into faster-than-light speeds.

Kirk got to his feet and approached the viewer screen, his hands on his hips and a deeply thoughtful look on his face. "Do we know where they might be going?"

"There's nothing on their current heading that seems like somewhere they'd be interested in going," Sulu answered. "They're not headed anywhere near Klingon space, but if they're not working with or for the Klingon Empire, then they could be heading for a hideout on any inhabitable planet."

"I do not think that scenario is likely." Spock turned his chair so he could face the entire bridge. "The attacks on Federation vessels have been quite close together, suggesting the Klingon ship has been moving almost without pause since the attacks began. I believe the Bird of Prey is simply trying to put as much distance between us and them as they can."

The young Captain returned to his chair, but didn't sit down, and pondered over the two theories presented. "Mister Spock's suggestion makes more sense, but if we pass any habitable planets, make sure to scan for energy signatures just in case."

A few moments later, the faint trail they were following dropped out of warp, the _Enterprise _following. The big ship located the Klingon vessel, but not before another volley of shots was launched, striking the side of the hull and rocking the ship. Around the bridge, those seated grabbed their chairs and those standing grabbed the edge of their consoles, or in Kirk's case, the back of his chair, to keep from tumbling to the floor. Just as the ship stopped its violent shaking, the Klingons launched another barrage of phaser fire, catching the crew off guard and sending most sprawling to their knees, stomachs, sides and backs as the starship lurched again. Alianna smacked her healing wrist on her console, causing her to curse out loud, and her sentiments were echoed by several other crew members as they suffered injuries; luckily none were too severe.

"Shields!" Kirk yelled, finally finding the breath and a moment of stability to speak.

"Shields up!" Alianna responded. It wasn't her first responsibility to manage the shields, but Sulu was just pulling himself to his feet and couldn't reach his console.

More bright shots issued from the ship on the viewer, but the shaking was minimal as they struck the shields. A collective sigh went through the bridge because everyone was able to get back to their positions; it wasn't a release of tension, because as soon as everyone was back in control of their consoles, the tension level rose back to where it had been.

"Is there any way we can take out their ship without detonating the weapon?" Sindari asked.

"Without knowing how the phasers have been modified and how exactly they are integrated into the ship's systems, it would not be wise to fire on the Bird of Prey," Spock said after a moment.

"So what are we going to do? Let them shoot at us?"

"Shields at sixty-five percent," Sulu informed the bridge.

"Evasive manoeuvres, Mister Sulu. Keep them chasing us." Kirk returned to his chair and stared intently at the ship in the middle of the viewer. The _Enterprise_ took off past the Klingon ship, dodging phasing fire. "Can we beam a team aboard?"

"There's some sort of interference!" Uhura yelled over the noise as the ship took another hit.

"Shields down to forty percent!"

The bridge of the _Enterprise _was rapidly devolving into chaos. Shouts and screams were echoing up from the lower decks, and the lights were flickering behind a quickly thickening veil of smoke. At some point amongst everything, Alianna had taken the ship to red alert and above everything, the faint keening of the siren could be heard. The crew lapsed into silence, except for Sulu's updates on the status of the shields, as they held on to their chairs, consoles and tried to remain upright and survive the confrontation; not being able to return fire had put them in a tough situation.

"Fifteen percent!"

The remainder of the shields gave out, and the next hit rocked the ship harder, sending most of the bridge crew, and probably those on the decks below, flying. Alianna's shoulder cracked against the command chair, the pain knocking her senseless for a few minutes. But that was the last hit.

"Captain... the Klingons have left."

"They took the engines off line."

"Primary power is gone too."

After the reports finished coming in, Kirk rose and sighed, ignoring the coughs and other inconsequential noises around him. There were no reports coming in about fire or causalities or other serious problems, so it seemed that they were just... stuck.

Alianna hauled herself to her feet, holding her bruised arm with her good one. "What the hell?" she breathed, more as a rhetorical question than anything.

"We're stranded."

She moved to stand beside Kirk and looked at him, her face stoic, but her eyes firm. She was angry. "That's just great."

* * *

**Author's Note.**

We're over the halfway point! I have no idea how many chapters are really left because the number keeps changing. Right now, there are nine left, so we'll see if I actually stick to that number. I think I'm going to finish this one up before I move on to other things. Also, I seem to have some inexplicable source of inspiration for this fic right now... Huh. Confusing. Oh well.

**Next Chapter: Stranded in the Dark. **


	12. Chapter Twelve: Stranded in the Dark

I do not own Star Trek or anything to do with said franchise. However, I own Alianna Lordeck and co-own Sindari Lordeck and this plot. This fic is based on the new movie, and thus, takes place in the alternate universe of the movie. It's rated for lots of bad language and some sexual scenes (let's face it, it is Captain Kirk we're talking about), and violence and some drinking. You know, standard stuff. Should be lots of fun and I apologize in advance if any of the information about Star Trek is wrong. I've tried to do research, but hey, with eleven movies, five live-action shows and one animated show, along with multiple books and such, getting all the facts straight is kind of hard. Anyways, enjoy.

* * *

**Ain't No Rest for the Wicked  
**Chapter Twelve: Stranded in the Dark.

* * *

Alianna returned to her console just in time to see it start lighting up like a Christmas tree. She sighed and reluctantly let go of her left shoulder, the injured joint protesting and making the security officer gnash her teeth to keep from screaming in pain; she seemed to be incapable of remaining in one piece since she'd met Kirk and the crew of the _Enterprise_. Keeping the injured limb pinned as tightly to her side as she could without the aid of her good hand, Alianna took the ship to red alert, the lights running on backup power and informing those who may not know what was going on that the _Enterprise _was in trouble. Her green eyes took in the reports as they flew across the screen. Hull breaches around engineering, failing systems... She set her jaw, keeping herself in business mode.

Kirk appeared at her side, her console being the easiest to access in the chaos, and peered down at the same reports. "Are the emergency force fields holding?" he asked, his quick eyes finding the reports of the hull breaches.

"Yes." Her hand flew over the faintly glowing screen, seeking to confirm her suspicions. "All systems except for life support and the emergency back-up power are down." She ran one finger down the side of the panel, over the line of red lights indicating the reports of failing systems and brought several messages up to view at once. "They knew where Engineering was," she breathed with realization, her green eyes moving rapidly back and forth, taking in the information. "The hits were too clustered for it to be coincidence."

"Looks that way," the Captain said, peering over her shoulder.

"Which means they have some in with the Federation or some stolen ship blueprints or something..." Alianna sighed angrily. "This is not good. First their weapon—"

"But that couldn't have been the weapon they were using on the other ships," Sindari interjected from the other side of the increasingly smoky bridge. "We'd all be dead if it was."

Alianna looked at her sister, narrowing her eyes to peer through the smoke. Sindari looked shaken. Her eyes were wide and showing a lot of white, and her hands were gripping the edge of her console tightly. In fact, everyone on the bridge except for the Vulcan science officer looked like they could use a break. Sindari made her way across the bridge, walking with her knees stiff, like she was expecting the ship to shake again. Her progress was joined by Spock and Chekov, who had spent the most time with the readings from the alien weapon. As the other bridge officers went about their assigned emergency tasks, the small group crowded around Alianna's console, a knot of cerebral action amidst all the hustle and bustle.

"It is logical to assume if the Klingons were experiencing problems with their cloaking system, that it was not the only one they were having problems with," Spock said.

"The modifications they made to their phaser banks might have overloaded several systems," Sindari chimed in.

Chekov nodded his agreement. "Their ship is not new. The modifications were probably too much for the ship to handle."

Kirk looked at his officers and opened his mouth to say something, but was cut off by a sudden yell from the console in front of him. "_Captain! I'm losin' control down here! Everything I fix just breaks again!"_

Kirk used his thumb to press a button near his hand, connecting him to his Chief Engineer. "Scotty, slow down."

_"Sorry Cap'n, but there's no time! I can nae get anything back online or fix anything. My teams are running around the ship, fixing whatever they can get their hands on, but she's not holdin' together!" _

The young Captain huffed and ran his hands backwards over his light brown hair. "Just keep doing what you can," he said, pressing the button again. "I'm coming down."

He let go of the button and turned to his senior officers assembled around him. Kirk didn't say anything, but the stress of the situation was clear in the bunched muscles of his jaw and the uncharacteristic darkness of his eyes. Spock, Uhura and the rest knew what they were expected to do, and as their Captain turned and headed for the turbolift, they returned to their consoles to monitor and contribute to the attempted repairs of the ship, a few of them running to the other turbolifts to attend to situations on lower decks. Alianna, on the other hand, quickly glanced at her console, then to her sister before holding her injured arm tightly to her side and following the Captain; Sindari looked at Spock, who was the only other one who noticed the occurrence, and then shrugged before getting back to her work, analysing the weapons systems.

Alianna managed to get into the turbolift just before the doors closed, the hydraulic device slamming into her injured shoulder as she manoeuvred into the small, round car. She couldn't suppress the gasp of pain, hard as she tried.

"You should head down and get Bones to look at that," Kirk said, the barest smile pulling at one corner of his mouth. It was gone quickly and replaced by the grimace of deep thought that had been there before. "You don't want it hampering your ability to work, now do you?"

She groaned and leaned against the wall, sparing enough energy to shoot her Captain a glare, half-hearted and accompanied by a small grin though it was. "There are people with worse injuries who should be attended to first. My time and energy will be better spent in Engineering. I'll get Bones to look at my shoulder when the _Enterprise _is moving again."

"And what makes you think you'll be of any help in Engineering?"

"Well," she said, groaning again as she adjusted position, "aside from being a capable pilot and a more than capable security officer, I'm also quite adept at fixing things. I spent a lot of time downstairs on the _Marissa_, and I'm a fast learner." Alianna levelled her gaze at Kirk. "That enough for you?"

Kirk couldn't suppress another grin. "Just don't get in the way."

"I won't."

The turbolift dropped into place and the doors sighed open, revealing the chaos of red and yellow pipes and red-shirted officers running around, data PADDs and tools in hands, attempting to fix what was ailing the _Enterprise_. A team pushed the officers out of the turbolift with hurried apologizes. Alianna followed Kirk down the only visible walkway to a large, square platform where the Scottish Chief Engineer was barking orders at his subordinates and waving a wrench around in one hand. There was a short alien at his side, with rocky-looking skin and protruding black eyes. When Scotty realized who was standing next to him, he turned and sighed, looking somewhat relieved.

"Captain, am I glad to see you. You know more about this ship than any of these fools," he said, with a glare at the nearest crewman. "And no offense Commander, but what are you doin' here?"

"Commander Lordeck assures me she'll be of assistance."

Scotty looked at the Captain and shrugged. "We can use all the help we can get." He started walking, heading towards the back of the ship, the little alien, Keenser, following at a surprisingly fast walk for someone of his size. Kirk and Alianna fell in step as well, the latter having to jog slightly to keep up with the men. "I've got teams workin' on all the primary systems, but none of the repairs are sticking. Everything just keeps breaking..." As they turned a corner, Scotty patted a bulkhead, and said, "C'mon lass. Hold it together." It was clear he was talking more to himself and the ship; it was almost like he'd forgotten the people following him.

Keenser's eyes made a strangely liquid noise as he rolled them.

Eventually, they reached their destination: a complicated tangle of pipes, bulkheads, computers, wires and other assorted pieces that was evidently a source of quite some trouble. Scotty immediately set to work, informing his "assistants" on what was to be done. Before setting to work, Alianna got Kirk to help her remove her red outer tunic and then tie it tightly around her injured arm, pinning it to her body and leaving her right arm free, all the while assuring him that she could in fact do what was needed with one hand. In her short-sleeved black undershirt, Alianna climbed into the pipes in order to reach a breached conduit. Kirk handed her a tool kit before setting to his own assignment at the nearby computer console, every once in a while, peering over his shoulder to make sure she was still secure in her perch on the pipes.

* * *

Similarly to its rival, the Klingon ship was fighting its own internal battles, trying to keep the ship moving and functional enough to support life. The normally obscure bridge was clogged with nearly opaque air, and pervaded by yelling Klingons, the popping noise of broken computer consoles and, from somewhere, dripping water. Krang was seated in his command chair, his right arm bloody and burned, along with most of his hair on that side; he had been too close to a console that have overloaded. His great Klingon jaw was moving as he chewed, his jaw muscles bunching in anger.

In front of him, stood the human: the Green-Eyed Man. His hands were tucked into the opposite sleeves of his voluminous robe, and his lined face set in a supremely nasty scowl.

_"It is your fault we are having these problems!" _Krang's first officer barked from his position behind the command chair. His dark knuckles were mottled as he gripped his phaser; the only thing keeping him from shooting the human was a reluctant order from the Klingon Captain. _"We took the weapon on your word! We betrayed the Empire on your orders! And now we sit here, stranded and just begging to be attacked!"_

_"Enough!" _Krang bellowed. _"Speak, Green-Eyes. Tell us what you are thinking." _His voice was tight, on the edge of breaking. If the human said the wrong thing, he would be shot, point-blank, no questions asked.

The man rolled his eyes at the nickname, but as he had not given them a name to call him, it was better than some things. _"As my wife left, I have nothing to return home for. We must repair the damage done to the cloaking device and to the phasers. Once the primary systems are fixed, we can fix the weapon. Something happened to it when you fired the normal phasers at the _Enterprise._" _He sighed and ran one long-fingered hand back over his short gray hair. _"We will have to be more careful when approaching the flagship." _

_"Why?"_

_"If they haven't already, the Federation will be sending reinforcements. As powerful as the new weapon is, we will not be able to take on more than one Federation ship at a time." _

There was a chorus of growls from around the bridge. The human was doubting the capability of the Klingons, and that was not something normal people would get away with. But, since he was the only one who would be able to find scientists capable of fixing the modified phasers, the Klingons were going to have to put up with some abuse.

_"It is just good sense. You don't want to die because of a mistake, do you?" _the human snarled in response.

Krang seemed to mull that over. Something in his Klingon mind must have been addled because he found himself agreeing. _"Fine. Start repairs and keep watch for the _Enterprise _or any other ship." _He turned his dark eyes to the human he had to regrettably let aboard. _"We cannot trust that this man gave us the knowledge to disable the _Enterprise_." _

That was answered with raucous laughter.

* * *

**Author's Note.**

See? I can update. Although I should be studying... Oh well.

By the way, Good Eats is an awesome show. Best cooking show evar. If you're into cooking shows, go watch it, RIGHT SHMEOW. You want proof that it's good? It can make me want to eat ham and mayonnaise, two foods I HATE. That's how good this show is. Makes me want to try food I normally would avoid like the freakin' plague.

Anyways, enjoy this chapter! And... sorry it's a short.

**Next Chapter: Sitting Duck. **


	13. Chapter Thirteen: Sitting Duck

I do not own Star Trek or anything to do with said franchise. However, I own Alianna Lordeck and co-own Sindari Lordeck and this plot. This fic is based on the new movie, and thus, takes place in the alternate universe of the movie. It's rated for lots of bad language and some sexual scenes (let's face it, it is Captain Kirk we're talking about), and violence and some drinking. You know, standard stuff. Should be lots of fun and I apologize in advance if any of the information about Star Trek is wrong. I've tried to do research, but hey, with eleven movies, five live-action shows and one animated show, along with multiple books and such, getting all the facts straight is kind of hard. Anyways, enjoy.

* * *

**Ain't No Rest for the Wicked  
**Chapter Thirteen: Sitting Duck.

* * *

"I still think you should go and see Bones and get him to check out your shoulder."

Alianna looked sideways at her Captain and shrugged. "I can move it now," she said, pulling off the makeshift bandage and demonstrating with a full circle of the injured arm. "So I'm fine." She gave her Captain a tired but smug grin and pushed herself to her feet and away from the wall where they had been sitting, taking a break. "Let's just get back to work." As she walked away, Alianna pulled her hair out of the now very messy bun and ran her fingers through her dark brown locks, loosening some of the knots, before pulling her hair back into a ponytail and the base of her skull; it was long enough to trail over one shoulder as she bent to work at the console they'd both been plugging away at.

Kirk shook his head and followed the young woman, a small grin on his face.

They'd been down in Engineering for hours and they were both exhausted, a state shared by the rest of the red-shirted crew and no doubt the rest of the crew above Engineering as well. Scotty had disappeared to tend to some other problem a while ago, leaving Kirk and Alianna to tackle the fused conduits that were supposed to supply power to the impulse engines on their own, while Kirk kept tabs on the rest of his ship via intercom reports from Spock, Uhura, Bones and other senior members of the crew. Slowly, the _Enterprise _was returning to a situation where she could move and pursue the Klingon vessel, and the crew's mood was elevating with the repairs of their ship; tension remained as everyone feared the Klingons returning while they couldn't fight back. Kirk and Alianna had reached a point where they were so tired that everything was funny and they spent as much time laughing about their work as they did actually working, and that's not to say they weren't doing a lot of work, because in the hours they'd been confined to the small section of Engineering, they had managed to make astounding progress.

"Hey Ali," Kirk called as he wormed his way around the pipes, back to where the fused conduit lay.

"What?" she asked, her voice snapping a little more than she'd meant it to with her attention otherwise occupied by the readouts on the screen in front of her.

"Aside from the obvious answer of us all being danger just sitting out here in space, why are you being so cooperative?" The young Captain picked up a small laser cutter and ran it along the melted site, the small red point leaving a trail of smoke in its wake. It fizzed out before he'd finished; overworked. "Can you bring me another cutter?"

Alianna retrieved the device from the box Scotty had left and twisted herself into the pipes, handing the small tool to Kirk once she was within reach. She didn't retreat, fixing a steady gaze on him instead. "I told you I'd had enough of this," she said, her voice low and matter-of-fact. "We're going to catch those damn Klingons, even if I have to be... abnormal for that happen." Her green eyes shone as she smiled, that edge of hysterical tiredness working its way to the surface. "Where's that busted laser?"

He handed her the broken tool and watched her back up out of the pipe work, her shoulder catching on a joint, bringing a pained gasp from her mouth. "Go get Bones to look at your shoulder already."

"No."

"Not even if I make it an order?"

Alianna looked at him over her shoulder, a small grin on her lips. "_Especially _if you make it an order."

"What happened to you being cooperative?"

"Like my shoulder has anything to do with our ability to catch these Klingons," she replied with a laugh that Kirk couldn't help but join in with. "The only thing keeping us from chasing after those..." She paused, trying to retrieve the word she wanted to describe their Klingon foes from her brain. Upon failing, she shrugged. "Anyways, this ship is all that's keeping us here."

Kirk's face fell into a very serious set, but his blue eyes were still tinged with laughter. "Don't talk about her like that."

Alianna smiled at him, a genuine expression. Although she'd probably never admit it, she admired Kirk's dedication and attachment to the ship. He was committed to the _Enterprise _and her crew, and although he was a great deal more committed to his ship, the feelings reminded Alianna of Captain DeFalco; as the man's face entered her mind's eye, she touched the ring around her throat through her black undershirt. "Sorry," she said before withdrawing completely from the pipes. "She's a beautiful ship, Jim, just a little stubborn sometimes."

"Sounds like someone else I know," he called after Alianna.

She paused in the moment of awkward silence that followed, and then climbed to her feet and headed back to the console quickly, her cheeks flushed and her eyes a little wide, her tiredness making the embarrassment more potent. "Move on, Ali," she whispered to herself. The security officer ran her fingers along the screen, running another scan of the last problem area. "Just one more fused area to fix and then we can test it to see if the impulse engines are back online."

"Okay."

Alianna kept her green eyes glued to the console, her lids becoming suddenly heavy; she wished the replicators were online, but knew they wouldn't be for a while yet. All non-essential systems were being saved until last. It made sense, but it didn't make for a happy or energized crew. Alianna knew that someone would probably be making coffee and simple food in the galley, but that was four decks above Engineering and she couldn't leave until her and Kirk were finished. However, a moment later, Uhura appeared, a large silver and glass pot in one hand and two mugs in the other, answering Alianna's silent wish for coffee.

"Thought you two might need some refreshment," the dark-skinned communications officer said, handing Alianna a mug and filling it.

"You have no idea how right you are." Alianna turned towards the pipes and the barely visible form of Kirk. "Coffee's here, Captain," she called, taking a long drink from her mug.

Kirk crawled out of the metal nest, taking in Uhura's glance at his black undershirt, but accepting the coffee without a comment; it was hot in Engineering, and the slightly loose gold tunic had proved quite adept at getting caught on the pipes. He drained the first mug-full of coffee quickly, seemingly impervious to the heat in the liquid. "Thanks Uhura," he said as he started in on the second mug.

The women exchanged a glance and a smile before Alianna asked, "How are things on the bridge?"

"Slightly improved. Power has been returned to all the consoles, so work can be done from the bridge, but life support seems to be the only system that's completely stable. Weapons are back online sporadically." She sighed and smoothed her hands down her hips; a nervous gesture. "Short-range scanners are back as well and haven't picked up anything, but I don't know how long they'll remain operational."

"Lieutenant," Kirk interrupted.

"Yes Captain?" she asked, a surprised look on her face, like she'd forgotten she was talking to someone.

"Get someone to take over communications for a few hours and get some rest."

Uhura opened her mouth to protest, but then closed it and nodded, the full weight of her exhaustion taking over her face, her usually bright brown eyes turning dull and her shoulders falling, ruining her normally perfect posture. "Thank you Captain," she muttered before vanishing in the general direction of the turbolift.

"Why don't I get to go rest?" Alianna asked.

"Do you want to sleep?"

She drained her first cup of coffee. "Nope."

"Then get back to work."

Alianna flashed him the most brilliant smile she could muster and then returned to the console, watching Kirk as he disappeared back to the conduit, becoming a black shape amongst the brightly coloured pipes. "Yes sir," she whispered.

* * *

Sindari had given up on the bridge. What use was a weapons officer who wasn't intimately familiar with the systems on the ship going to be? And it pained her to admit it, but she didn't know the systems as well as Chekov or even Sulu. Best to let them handle it. Upon finding herself essentially useless, the redhead took to the back-up powered turbolift and descended to the sick bay, determined to find a place to be useful.

Bones had been grateful to see her and her hands. Sick bay was more chaotic than the bridge, and another pair of hands doing something, _anything_, was gratefully appreciated. Currently, she was applying bandages to a young woman who had been thrown into her communications console hard enough to crack three ribs, sprain both wrists and give her a nice gash along one side of her face. Sindari had already given her a painkiller, but there was still a grimace on the girl's lips and she winced every time Sindari touched her. The younger Lordeck finished with the patient as quickly as she could before seeking out somewhere else to be of use.

"Sindari!"

She turned towards Bones' voice, located the rugged doctor and crossed the medical bay. "Yes?"

"We've got to remove a piece of shrapnel from Engineer Wellwood and I need an extra pair of hands to hold a retractor. We have to do this old school." He sighed heavily. "Nothing is stable down here. If we tried doing it the civilized way, he'd probably die."

Sindari frowned. "Just tell me what you want me to do, boss."

Bones sighed again, but it turned into a small smile at the end.

Sindari had never witnessed an operation before, let alone one done without the technology of the current century. So, standing across the table from Doctor McCoy as he cut open the unconscious man and withdrew the piece of bloody metal was almost more than she could bear. Of course she had seen blood before, but that was always in the middle of a battle of some kind, never in an operation, in a medical bay or hospital where one growing up on a civilized and advanced planet expected nothing by cleanliness and sanitation. Sindari spent most of the two hour long operation concentrating on keeping her knees steady and her meagre dinner in her stomach where it belonged. The only saving grace was that Bones knew exactly what he was doing so no one around that table or on it had to be there longer than was necessary.

"Here's a cold cloth," Nurse Chapel said as Sindari walked away from the operating room.

The redhead looked at the young nurse and took the cloth just as her knees finally gave out. The nurse sank to her knees beside Sindari and pressed the cloth to her forehead, cheeks and neck. "Thanks," Sindari mumbled.

"It's not a problem, Lieutenant," Chapel said with a tight grin.

Bones appeared after another moment and also knelt beside the fallen woman; Nurse Chapel let him take control of the situation and went about her other responsibilities. "How are you?"

"A little in shock, I think."

They shared in a private grin and small laugh before Bones helped her to her feet. "You were good in there," he said. "If you're serious about your medical training, I think you'd make an excellent doctor."

"Thanks Bones, but I'll never be more than a weapons officer with medical training. No offense to you profession." She smiled at the doctor. "How about you help me stand so we can get back to helping all these injured people?"

Bones helped her to her feet, holding her steady until they were both sure she could stand on her own. When she was stable, they walked to the other side of the medical bay to check on those with more minor injuries. The nurses had been busy while the operation was taking place, and most of the chaos in the main room of the sick bay had been put into some kind of order, and there didn't seem to be any new patients coming through the front door. Sindari followed Bones around the room, observing as he checked on each patient and doing what was asked to help; she felt useful and that was satisfying, especially when the entire ship was still stranded. At least she fell like she was getting somewhere.

"Sin, why did you come down here?" Bones asked when they had a moment.

The weapons officer pressed the cloth to her neck—she had started to feel faint again when one of the more severely injured had vomited blood onto her tunic—and looked at Bones. "I wanted to help."

"I'm sure you could have helped on the bridge."

Instead of regaling him with her feelings of uselessness, Sindari just shrugged.

"Well I'm glad for your help." A heavy frown suddenly took over Bones' features and he placed his hand on her forehead, looking for the fever he could have just as easily scanned her for. "Are you feeling okay Sin?"

"Yeah, I feel fine... Well, I'm a little dizzy..."

Her green eyes rolled back in her head and she collapsed, falling forward. Bones caught her and pulled her gently into his arms so he could more easily carry her to the nearest empty bed. A moment after he laid her down, she opened her eyes—startlingly green in the sickly whiteness of her face—and groaned. He hushed her and pulled out his tricorder to scan her; she could have just been faint, but it would have been irresponsible not to check for something more serious.

"When was the last time you ate something Sin? Or got any sleep?"

"Uhm..."

Bones rolled his eyes at her, but a knot of tension in his shoulders that he hadn't realized was there relaxed and he sighed. "I know we're in the middle of a crisis here, Sin, but if you're not taking care of yourself, how do you expect to take out the big bag Klingons?" Nurse Chapel brought a bowl of very hearty-looking stew and a cup of what turned out to be milk. "Eat and then get some rest. I'll be sure to wake you if anything exciting happens." Sindari opened her mouth to protest, but the doctor cut her off. "That's an order, Lieutenant Lordeck."

"Fine," she answered with a small grin.

* * *

Alianna resisted the urge to slam her fists into the console, turned around to inform Kirk of the bad news and found him standing very close. The lack of distance startled her and she lost her anger and started laughing.

"Maybe you _should_ get some sleep," Kirk said with the widest grin Alianna had ever seen on his handsome face.

She turned serious again. "No. We've got to get these engines online or it won't matter if we can shoot the Klingons because we will not be able to catch them!" Her eyes had narrowed, but strangely, the effect of the glare was dimmed by the soft wisps of hair framing her face; the shocking green of her eyes was just more severe when her hair was pulled back from her face in its usual tight bun. "I am staying until we figure this thing out."

"I'm surprised you're so dedicated to this, lass."

Alianna spun to look at Scotty, who had finally reappeared. "I watch to stop those Klingons."

Scotty nodded like that was an adequate explanation and then made his way into the pipe work to investigate. "You two have made good progress!" he yelled. The Scottish engineer continued to talk, but his voice dropped off and was joined by an excessive amount of clanging and then, as if called by some silent signal, the little alien Keenser, who appeared from deeper in the cave-like room and joined his friend in the pipes, his tool belt creating loud echoes as he moved about.

"Where is he from?" Alianna asked, voice low.

Kirk shrugged as he took up a position at the console, waiting for any orders from Scotty. "I have no idea. He was with Scotty on Delta Vega when Spock marooned me there a couple years ago."

Alianna blinked as she tried to absorb what her Captain had just said.

Kirk ignored her, instead focusing on the screen in front of him. "Propulsion is the only major system still down." He frowned. "How long have we been down here?" he asked, more to himself than Alianna, Scotty, Keenser, or anyone else who might have heard. The Captain brought up a chronometer on the screen, his frown deepening. He looked up at Alianna. "We've been working for five hours."

"You were _marooned_?"

Scotty reappeared just as Kirk was waving off the inquiry. "Fire it up, Captain."

The Captain of the _Enterprise_ keyed in the proper sequence and the three senior officers and Keenser were rewarded with a low, steady hum that meant the impulse engines were online. Alianna had a very real urge to cheer, which she suppressed. She did however smile widely. A few cheers could be heard from around the room, and she laughed. As the noise faded though, she was suddenly very tired. She leaned on the wall by the console, crossed her arms under her chest and stared ahead, her eyes eventually drifting to Kirk; she was so tired, she didn't even notice she was staring.

"Looks like someone's burned out."

Kirk responded to his chief engineer's voice and looked over at Alianna, whose eyes had closed and whose breathing had deepened and had become more even. "She's been up for almost two days now. Hell, most of the crew has been up that long..." He rubbed his eyes, being careful to avoid the bridge of his nose which was still taped and still sensitive. "Have you got this Scotty?" he finally asked, feeling comfortable putting the remainder of the situation in Scotty's hands because not only were most of the main systems back online, but he was a masterful engineer and would alert the Captain if there was any need.

The shorter man scratched his head and nodded. "Aye."

"Do you sleep at all?"

He idly placed a hand on a nearby pipe. "Only when she doesn't need me," he said with a grin.

Kirk chuckled and approached Alianna. He too was finally feeling the weight of exhaustion but he was also relieved. The _Enterprise _and her crew had pulled through the attack, the ship was in one piece, and none of his crew had died. The problem with the Klingons was by no means over, but things from the side of the Federation were looking up; at least, from the sleep-deprived stupor, they were. There was room to breathe.

The young Captain nudged Alianna, and she opened her tired eyes. "What?"

"We're done down here."

She pushed herself off the wall and started towards the turbolift, grabbing her dirty scarlet tunic off the floor as she went. With his own tunic under his arm, the Captain followed suit. Inside the turbolift, which was running on normal power again, Alianna leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, arms crossed again, but this time, she remained awake.

"Why did you hide out in Engineering?"

Kirk looked at her for a moment, but she didn't open her eyes. "Why did you come with me?"

"To help. What's a security officer going to do in this situation?"

He shrugged, acknowledging her point. "Working with my hands helps me calm down and think clearly. This crew is skilled enough to handle the situation without constant direction. They could have reached me if they needed me." Kirk paused, his eyes still lingering on Alianna. "Besides, she's my ship. A captain needs to know his vessel."

Alianna finally opened her eyes and returned Kirk's heavy gaze. One of those moments of complete emotional understanding passed between them. It made Alianna uncomfortable and her cheeks flushed deep red and she dropped her eyes to the floor, breaking that connection.

The last few seconds of the turbolift ride were done in silence, and as the doors hissed open, Alianna slid out of the lift and headed straight, towards her room.

Kirk followed.

Alianna turned to face him when he caught up with her, her tired eyes turned up and peering out from under her lids.

He gazed down at her and lifted one hand, his finger tips gently brushing her cheek and pushing some stray strands of hair back from her skin. She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand, forcing Kirk to cup her cheek completely, his thumb softly tracing a line under her eye.

"Jim..." she breathed,

He leaned down, their bodies drawing closer together in tandem with their lips.

_"Bridge to the Captain."_

The officers drew rapidly away from each other. "Yes?"

_"We have located the remains of an ion trail. It appears to be Klingon,"_ Spock's voice said through the comm. system.

Kirk sighed heavily, his eyes returning to Alianna, who was just keying in the code to open her doors. "I'll be right there." He waited until he heard the comm. click off. "Ali..."

She looked at him over her shoulder. "I'll be up after I change and take a quick shower."

"No. Get some rest. When we find the Klingon ship, I'll wake you."

The security officer gave him a half-smile and then disappeared into her room, the doors closing and locking behind her. Kirk sighed before turning and heading back towards the turbolift, destined for the bridge.

* * *

**Author's Note.**

All I have to say is for Shauna: Hahahahahahahahahaha. Guess what's next? *wiggles eyebrows*

For the rest of you, I hope you enjoy this better (and longer) chapter. I like it. And I promise you action in the next chapter. The next chapter marks the beginning of the final confrontation.

Enjoy!

**Next Chapter: Searching For Comfort; Searching For Distress. **


	14. Chapter Fourteen: Searching For Comfort

I do not own Star Trek or anything to do with said franchise. However, I own Alianna Lordeck and co-own Sindari Lordeck and this plot. This fic is based on the new movie, and thus, takes place in the alternate universe of the movie. It's rated for lots of bad language and some sexual scenes (let's face it, it is Captain Kirk we're talking about), and violence and some drinking. You know, standard stuff. Should be lots of fun and I apologize in advance if any of the information about Star Trek is wrong. I've tried to do research, but hey, with eleven movies, five live-action shows and one animated show, along with multiple books and such, getting all the facts straight is kind of hard. Anyways, enjoy.

* * *

**Ain't No Rest for the Wicked  
**Chapter Fourteen: Searching For Comfort; Searching For Distress.

* * *

Alianna stood just inside the closed, and now locked, doors of her quarters, breathing a little heavily and eyes a little wide. Her hands were balled into fists at her sides and she was shaking. Not violently, but that fine trembling close to shivering, but she definitely was not shivering. She couldn't shake the lingering feeling of Kirk's hand on her cheek, his breath on her lips or the look in his eyes. She couldn't shake the feeling of him being that close to her, and even though she knew she was exhausted and needed to get to sleep, the exhilaration of the memories kept her upright and awake.

Alianna had, at some point, admitted to herself that she had feelings for the Captain—or at the very least was attracted to him—but as there were express rules against pursuing a relationship with a superior officer, she had done her best to push her feelings to the back of her mind. Not to mention Kirk's reputation… That part of Alianna that was rational, collected and every bit the Starfleet officer she had been trained to be did not want this to happen, but the part of Alianna where her temper originated from, the part where all her emotions and everything that made her… her resided wanted to find out what was at the end of the moment her and the Captain had shared in the hall.

The encounter with Kirk had done everything to fluster her. She didn't know what to think or what to do.

The bell at the door sounded behind her and Alianna visibly started before she turned around and huffed. For a long moment, Alianna just stared at the door, part of her afraid to answer and find Kirk standing there, but a larger part afraid to open it and have it not be him.

"Ali?"

It was Sindari. Alianna sighed, and it was relieved. She knew how to deal with her sister. "Come in," she said, and was surprised to find her voice sounding calm and together, nothing like what she felt.

The doors whooshed open and revealed Sindari, who looked about as tired as Alianna knew she actually was; just thinking about her lack of sleep made Alianna's shoulders sag and her body begin to feel like lead. Sindari's red hair was nearly black with residual water from a recent shower and her skin, usually pale, was tinged pink, which meant she'd had a hot shower. In water. "Are you okay?" Sindari asked before Alianna could demand the location of the non-sonic shower.

"Yeah," she managed. "Why? Do I not look okay?"

"No. You look like you saw a ghost. What the hell is wrong?"

Alianna forced herself to blink and realized, as her eyelids slid closed, how dry her eyes were and how long it had been since she'd blinked. She shook her head and ran her hands over her face, ending the gesture by running her fingers through her tangled and dirty hair; she felt grease from some part of Engineering slide across her skin and into her hair as she moved her hands. "I'm just exhausted from working in Engineering," Alianna said, hoping Sindari would buy the lie and knowing she wouldn't. "I'm tired and covered in dirt. I would like to take a shower and get some sleep. Where's the real shower?"

Sindari blinked at her older sister, startled by the change of topic. "Uh, it's the decontamination shower in the medical bay. I got a little covered in blood and less savoury body fluids on me when I was helping Bones."

"So I can't use it?"

"No."

"Shit." Alianna cast a hate-filled glance at nothing in particular and then stomped into the bathroom, knowing Sindari wouldn't leave and that the conversation would continue above the hum of the sonic shower.

True to expectations, Sindari called, "So are you going to tell me what's wrong?" as soon as Alianna had stripped down and stepped into the cubicle.

She didn't answer right away. Alianna was surprised she actually enjoyed the feeling of the sonic waves removing the dirty and grim from her skin and hair. It would never compare to a real shower, but she found she was getting used to the newer invention. "No," she finally said.

Sindari's sigh of frustration could be heard over the shower. Alianna could picture her younger sister pacing a bit with her arms folded over her chest as she tried to find the words or some phrase that would make Alianna tell her the whole truth and nothing but the truth. It had been the same pattern since they were little, and the familiarity of the gesture did everything to make Alianna feel more like herself, albeit a very tired version of her normal stubborn self. As the thought hit her however, Kirk's comment about her similarity to the _Enterprise_ came back and she blushed, remembering first how it had made her feel at the time and then, once again, the moment in the hall.

Should she tell Sindari what had happened? Was it really any of her business? No. And besides, Alianna already knew what her sister would say: "But Ali, that's against the rules!" Since Alianna already knew it was against the rules and the training that she held so dear to her self-control, she didn't need to hear the words from someone else's mouth.

Alianna wrapped one hand around the ring, hanging low on her chest from the chain around her neck, and closed her eyes, the rhythmic pulsing of the sonic shower acting as a soothing agent and keeping her from flipping out. "John," she whispered. "What do I do?" Getting no answer from the spirit of her surrogate father—just as she had expected would happen—Alianna turned off the shower and climbed out, wrapped one of the thick white towels around her dry but clean body and headed back into the main area of her quarters. "I'd like to go to sleep now," she told Sindari.

"Ali… is there something wrong?"

The change in Sindari's voice, from demanding to caring, made Alianna freeze, her arm elbow-deep in the drawer where she'd stuffed all her sleepwear. There was an urge to tell her sister everything, but Alianna dismissed. "No," she said again, a fraction of her usual stubbornness back in her voice.

"Ali…"

"Why were you in the medical bay helping Bones?"

Again startled by the change in topic, Sindari glared at her sister. "Shit, Ali, if you don't want to talk, then just say so. Don't keep me here worried. Let me go somewhere else and worry where I won't be in your hair."

Alianna frowned at her sister as she tossed the towel on the bed and pulled the large black shirt over her head. As she pulled on underwear and a pair of baggy, bright yellow shorts, the frown deepened and she said, "Sindari, there's something wrong, but I don't want to talk about it. It's nothing serious, so don't worry. But I'm on my last fucking nerve and all I want is to go to sleep until we find these Klingons and I can kick some ass. I'll be fine then."

Sindari kept her sister's green gaze for a moment longer and the turned on her heel and headed for the door, the panels whooshing open softly and exposing Captain Kirk standing in the hall, a bottle of what looked like Andorian Ale in one hand and two glasses in the other.

"Captain?" Sindari asked, startled by his appearance.

"Lieutenant. Am I interrupting something important?"

Sindari looked over her shoulder at Alianna, who was in the process of brushing her long hair and decidedly not looking at the people standing in her doorway; if Sindari hadn't known her sister so well, she would have thought she caught the edge of a blush on Alianna's cheeks, but that was impossible. Wasn't it? Alianna was not a woman who blushed, nor was she a woman who broke regulations for a man. "Not at all, Captain. My sister was just getting ready for bed. Apparently working in Engineering has exhausted her." And then she walked stiffly into the hallway and headed towards her quarters, trying to figure out what exactly was going on and leaving the two senior officers alone.

Kirk remained in the doorway, keeping the doors from closing and gazed at Alianna.

"Well don't just stand there," Alianna snapped, still not looking at the Captain.

He obliged and entered the room, setting the alcohol and glasses down on the desk just inside the room and then remained standing beside it, almost as if he was unsure of what to do next. There were a few moments where there was no noise except the soft rustling of Alianna's brush gliding through her smooth, dark locks. When she had finished brushing her hair, she returned the brush to the top of her dresser and then turned to face Kirk, her green eyes dark and her mouth turned down in what was very obviously anger and confusion.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she demanded, voice snappy again.

Kirk responded with a bitter grin and a barking laugh. As he moved closer to her, she noticed that he had, at some point gotten cleaned up as well, and was dressed in his black uniform shirt. When he made to grab her wrist, she pulled away and kept her angry eyes locked on his face, and more specifically, the tape on his nose, which was easier to meet than his eyes. "What is the matter with you?"

She clasped her hands behind her back, her good hand wrapping around the brace on her finger; the spike of pain helped keep her focused. "What's the matter with me? What's the matter with you? You're the Captain!"

"And that means—"

"That means you know this," she gestured wildly at them and the air around them, "is against the rules!"

"So?"

"SO? So, you're a Starfleet Captain! And what's more to the point, we're in the middle of a crisis! We're chasing bloodthirsty, violent Klingons who are trying to destroy the Federation! Trying to destroy what we stand for!" she yelled, gesturing again. The blush that had occupied her cheeks had darkened with the strain of yelling and, for some reason she couldn't fathom, there were tears in the corners of her eyes. "How can you…"

"How can I what?" Kirk crossed the distance between them until there was only about an inch of space keeping them from touching. He didn't try to grab her wrist or arm or touch her at all, just stood there, close, letting the unspoken things and unperformed actions hang between them. "There is nothing to be done right now, Ali. We're following a faint ion trail, but the Klingons are already light-years ahead of us and we won't catch them anytime soon." His voice dropped to a whisper and he continued, his blue eyes intense. "I could sit on the bridge and watch the stars fly by the viewer, or I could wander around the ship and monitor the repairs being made to the remaining damaged systems. The ship does not need me right now, Alianna." He stepped closer and slightly to one side, so the front of his shoulder pressed into the side of hers, a slight touch.

Alianna sucked in a sharp breath as she realized what was going on. It was not just the Captain trying to seduce her; it was the young Captain searching for a moment of comfort amongst all the chaos and danger. The _Enterprise _didn't need him right now and Kirk wasn't sure what to do. He was an excellent Captain, but he did most of his work through actions: giving orders during a battle, going on away missions when the Captain wasn't supposed to leave the ship, working in Engineering where his secondary skill set could be put to use. Kirk was not a man to sit and listen to reports, to monitor situations, to sit in his command chair and watch the stars fly by. He was a man to be involved and there was nothing for him to be involved in. He was out of his element.

Not to mention he hadn't any more sleep than Alianna had recently and it was likely neither of them were thinking things all the way through.

"Jim…" Alianna breathed, leaning ever so slightly into him. "When was the last time you slept?"

"I don't remember." He smiled, and he was close enough that Alianna could feel the movement of his lips against her hair. "Do you want a drink?"

"Jim."

But he was already moving back to the desk and pouring some of the pale blue liquid into the square glasses. He handed one to Alianna, who took it, but didn't drink anything and she scowled as Kirk smiled over the rim of his glass at her. She opened her mouth to protest, but Kirk was once again in front of her, and her words got lost somewhere between her brain and her mouth.

* * *

Sindari was standing behind her console on the bridge, staring at the main viewer screen, watching the stars fly by. Her mouth was set in a semi-permanent scowl and her eyes kept flicking to the security console where Alianna should have been but wasn't, and to the Captain's chair, where Kirk should have been and wasn't. Instead, there was a young man standing where her sister should be and Spock was sitting in the command chair, his dark eyes forward, but his thoughts quite clearly elsewhere; Sindari had no doubt however that if someone called his name or something happened, he'd snap right back to attention without losing a moment. The Vulcan mind was a wonderful thing.

Across the bridge, Uhura caught the movement of Sindari's eyes and her displeased expression. The dark-skinned woman got to her feet and, with the blocky silver receiving device still in her ear in case anything came through, crossed the bridge. "Lieutenant… do… are you okay?" she asked.

The red-headed Lordeck raised an eyebrow at the sudden change of words, but didn't comment. "I'm fine, just a little distracted."

"Do you want me to contact someone to relieve your post?"

"No, Lieutenant. Thanks."

Uhura made a movement like she was going to return to her post, but at the last second, she turned and fixed a questioning glance on her younger crewmate. "Is your sister okay?" she asked, her voice low so no one else—save Spock, who always seemed to hear everything—could hear. It was logical to assume that Sindari would be distracted because something was wrong with Alianna. Alianna's strange and radical behaviour over her stay on the _Enterprise _only made the assumption that something was wrong with her more likely.

Sindari nodded, a quick motion of her head. "She's just having trouble taking in everything," she said, cobbling together the pieces she knew into a passable answer. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't exactly the truth either. Feeling a little off-set because of that, Sindari added something she knew to be completely true. "Saving that boy really got to Alianna, but she'll be okay."

"And the boy? I haven't heard anything since he was brought aboard."

Sindari studied Uhura's face and found genuine concern in her dark eyes, and that made Sindari like the young woman more, not that she had had any dislike towards her before. "Bo—Doctor McCoy said that Sage will pull through and that there shouldn't be any complications. As far as reports dictate however, his parents were both killed in that last attack. He's an orphan."

"Should we be keeping him on board?"

"Where else is he going to go? As far as I see it, he's safer here with Bones to look after him and his medical care."

Uhura regarded Sindari with a raised eyebrow, no doubt at the use of the Doctor's nickname.

Before she could say anything, however, Sindari switched the topic of conversation. "Has there been any word from Starfleet?"

Ever the officer, Uhura answered the question. "They only communications from Starfleet have been to relay what could possibly be sightings of a Klingon ship and to promise that as soon as they can, they'll send reinforcements to aid us."

"Hopefully it'll be soon enough."

Uhura nodded once, firmly, before returning to her station. A second after she did so, Spock asked for a report, but there was nothing to report from anyone on the bridge. Several crew members around the ship reported in via intercom that the repairs were going well and the ship would be fully functional within forty-eight hours, but that all battle systems were in near full-working order and that the _Enterprise _would have full warp spectrum and full shielding available within eight hours and that the torpedoes would be online within twelve hours, joining the phaser banks to complete the weapons array.

Standing at her console, listening to the exchanges, Sindari found herself pleased. Even if things were screwed six ways to Sunday with Alianna and whatever the hell was going on with Kirk, at least the situation was looking up. The _Enterprise _was slowly returning to her full glory and power, they were on the trail of the Klingons and there would be, at some point, reinforcements on the way.

_"Captain?" _

"It is Commander Spock, Doctor McCoy."

_"Ah, well then, Commander Spock, could you send Lieutenant Lordeck down to the medical bay?"_

"She is on her way." Spock's eyes found Sindari's and he inclined his head.

Sindari keyed in the sequence to transfer control of the weapons to Chekov's console and headed back to the turbolift to head down to the medical bay, wondering what Bones could need her help with. The first thought was Sage, and when the elevator stopped, Sindari hurried to the increasingly familiar room, panic tightening her chest as her mind spiralled down to the worst possible situation. But when she entered the room, she found Bones standing beside Sage's bed, and the boy sitting up, a tray of food across his lap and his intelligent eyes staring at the door.

"That's not the lady who saved me," he mumbled around a mouthful of food.

Sindari almost laughed, but she managed to restrain the gesture and turned towards Bones. "You rang?"

"Sage awoke a few moments ago hungry and wanting to see Alianna. I can't reach her."

Sindari's face split into a grin and she actually laughed a bit this time. This all seemed so… normal in the middle of everything. She ran her fingers back through her red hair and approached the bed, sitting on the vacant end so she could better look Sage in the eye. "The lady who saved you is named Alianna. She's my sister. She's… talking to the Captain at the moment, but when I see her next, I'll let her know you want to see her, okay?" When the boy nodded, Sindari's grin only grew. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better, Sage."

The boy nodded and mumbled something unintelligible around more food.

Sindari pushed herself off the bed and walked over to Bones' side, and the pair crossed the room to the nearest wall, just far enough away so Sage couldn't hear.

"Talking?"

She looked up at Bones, rolled her eyes and crossed her arms across her chest. "Don't even get me started. I'm not really sure what's going on, but it's something... weird."

Bones' mouth turned into a frown, deep lines creasing around his lips and his brow furrowing. "I don't want to know," he mumbled.

"Was this all you called me down here for?"

Bones' face changed quickly, becoming contemplative for a moment and then his normal mask of calm indifference. "I want you to run Sage's tests and make sure everything is still going well. I have to check up on some of the other patients."

"Okay." Sindari grabbed a tricorder off a nearby shelf. "Bones... Are Sage and the other patients... safe here? While we fight the Klingons?"

Bones surprised her by saying almost exactly what she had told Uhura only a few moments earlier. "Here I can keep an eye on them. Neither their ship nor their crew were in any condition to run repairs and maintain life support while trying to take care of their wounded. Sick bay on the _Enterprise _is located in the middle of the ship, so there's less of a chance it will be hit, and the Klingons will target the weapons before anything else."

"Gee, I feel so much better."

"You asked."

Sindari smiled at the Doctor before beginning Sage's tests.

* * *

Alianna was both very surprised and not surprised at all when Kirk closed the remaining distance and kissed her. Even with her revelations about the young man in front of her, and her knowledge of him, somehow, she hadn't really expected him to kiss her. Later, she would look back and consider herself foolish, but in that second she remained frozen, wishing she had taken a drink of the Andorian Ale nearly forgotten in her hand.

When she didn't respond to the kiss, Kirk pulled back just enough so that he could look her in the eye. "Are you really _that _against this?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He didn't seem angry or exceptionally hurt, but there was something in his voice that made Alianna want to wince.

The usually opinionated security officer stood there, staring at Kirk, eyes somewhere around neck-level, but she wasn't really seeing him, her mind still on the kiss. Her words were lost again, and she continued to stare forward, her jaw working as she flexed the muscles, chewing over her thoughts, her feelings, and the words she couldn't find. The alcohol suddenly remembered, Alianna downed the glass and extended it towards Kirk. "More," she breathed; the glass was shaking in her hand, exposing just how shaken she was. The Captain raised an eyebrow, but took the glass and refilled it, Alianna draining it in one go as well. Only on the third glass did she slow down, sipping and savouring the taste. "I'm not against _this_," she said eventually, her words slow and measured.

"Then what—"

She lifted the hand that wasn't holding booze and shot him a glare worthy of her normal self. "Unsure. I'm unsure if this is... appropriate in our current situation." Alianna looked up at him and she tried to convey what she was feeling in her gaze. She took another swallow of Andorian Ale but kept her eyes locked on Kirk, which wasn't hard with him only a few inches away.

He reached towards her and gently laid a hand on her shoulder. When she didn't protest or move away, Kirk wrapped his arm around her, holding her against his chest.

"And I'm really tired," Alianna said.

Kirk laughed at that, and Alianna joined in, the first laughs Kirk had heard from the fiery young woman soft and self-conscious, so unlike the demeanour she presented. She sank down to the bed as she laughed and Kirk moved with her, the security officer remaining in the Captain's arms, her head resting firmly in the curve of his shoulder. As the laughter subsided, she took another drink and leaned heavier into Kirk, the pair shifting to rest against the copious amount of pillows Alianna had stocked up against her headboard. Alianna reached across Kirk to place her glass on the bedside table before shimmying up on the bed so her face was level with Jim's and she could finally return the kiss he'd given moments before.

The kiss started slow and almost tentative, but it built rapidly. One of Kirk's hands lifted to Alianna's face, cupping her cheek, while the other slid along her shoulder and down her side until he could wrap his arm around her waist and pull her closer, nearly crushing her to him. She wrapped one of her legs around one of his and pressed her body against the side of his until they were touching along the length.

It was Alianna who pulled away, only enough so she could speak, but she was still close enough that her lips brushed his as she said, "I am actually exhausted, Jim."

He kissed her again, briefly and continued to hold her close. For a moment, he considered leaving, but there was a large part of him that wanted to stay right where he was. It was an odd desire for the young man, but under the present circumstances, he didn't question it. He had been looking for comfort and he had found it, just not in the way he expected. Jim Kirk moved his head so he could get a better look at the woman in his arms. "Then sleep," he said with a grin.

Alianna raised an eyebrow in a gesture he'd seen before, but this time, one corner of her mouth came up with it, turning the expression into something infinitely more playful than Kirk ever thought he'd see from the rather uptight young woman. "Maybe later," she whispered.

And she kissed him again, moving so she was lying on top of him as she did so.

* * *

**Author's Note.**

Sorry this chapter took so long. It was very hard to get into because it had to be perfect. Of course, getting to see Star Trek: The Music, and meeting Robert Picardo and John de Lancie—The Doctor from Voyager and Q from several Star Treks, respectively—helped me find the inspiration. As did the overwhelming desire to watch all, yes all of the eleven Star Trek movies. I'm not a huge fan of the first one, but man, are the little guys floating around in space amusing.

Don't even ask me why Ali's shorts are yellow. I don't even know.

By the way, searching for comfort in moments of silence during a crisis is legitimate, so no flak for that, please. I've been through it, so I know it's legitimate. Even if there are bloodthirsty Klingons out there somewhere.

Anyways, please enjoy the chapter. The shit hits the fan in the next one.

By the way, the "Distress" in the title just refers to them chasing the Klingons.

And Shauna, you'll get your smut soon. This just wasn't the time for it. Maybe in the sequel or the Christmas fic. We shall see.

**Next Chapter: And So It Begins. **


	15. Chapter Fifteen: And So It Begins

I do not own Star Trek or anything to do with said franchise. However, I own Alianna Lordeck and co-own Sindari Lordeck and this plot. This fic is based on the new movie, and thus, takes place in the alternate universe of the movie. It's rated for lots of bad language and some sexual scenes (let's face it, it is Captain Kirk we're talking about), and violence and some drinking. You know, standard stuff. Should be lots of fun and I apologize in advance if any of the information about Star Trek is wrong. I've tried to do research, but hey, with eleven movies, five live-action shows and one animated show, along with multiple books and such, getting all the facts straight is kind of hard. Anyways, enjoy.

* * *

**Ain't No Rest for the Wicked  
**Chapter Fifteen: And So It Begins.

* * *

_"Bridge to the Captain." _

Jim Kirk jumped a little as the page woke him. He groaned slightly and shifted a bit, stretching out the kinks from sleeping and allowing himself a moment to remember where he was; waking up under a strange ceiling and in a strange bed always disoriented him a little, no matter how often it happened. "Kirk here," he finally said. He settled back against the pillows, savouring the cocoon of warmth the blankets had turned into. It was nearly impossible to be worried in that moment.

_"Captain," _Spock's calm voice said as it slid out of the intercom speaker next to the door. The serious tone to the trusted Vulcan's voice did more to wake the Captain up than anything else could have. _"The ion trail is becoming increasingly stronger. I estimate the Klingons to be no more than five point six hours ahead of us. We should prepare."_

"Very good Mister Spock," Kirk said around a sigh. "I'm on my way to the bridge."

Kirk waited until he heard the soft click that meant the intercom was no longer connected before rolling over to look at the chronometer on the bed side table. After determining he'd had about three hours of sleep, the young Captain rolled back over and gazed at Alianna, who appeared still asleep on the bed beside him. Despite the _Enterprise _heading into battle, James Kirk couldn't help but enjoy the moment. Alianna was sprawled over her half of the bed, the dark gray blankets twisted around her curvaceous form and her long hair fanned out and tangled around her; her chest rose and fell steadily with sleep and every time she exhaled, she mumbled incoherently. Smiling slightly to himself, Kirk reached over and ran the tip of one finger down her cheek, neck, along her shoulder and across her back. She shivered and rolled over before opening her green eyes to glare playfully at him.

In that second, a thought hit the Captain. Since Spock had paged Kirk, that meant he had used the computer to locate the Captain, and that meant that Spock knew Kirk was in Alianna's room. The thought brought a groan from his mouth.

"Oh, that's a nice way to greet me," Alianna said with a small smile as she untangled herself from Kirk's arms, pushing against his bare chest as she did so.

Before she could fully disengage herself however, Kirk grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back down, holding her against him. "I wasn't groaning _at _you, Ali." He held her for a brief moment, her back against his chest, his chin on her shoulder; the levity of their waking moments was all but gone, but that didn't mean Kirk wasn't going to use up every moment of comfort he could. "We've got to get to the bridge," he said, leaning into her a bit.

She shifted on the bed so she could look at the man who was now, she supposed, her lover. "I heard Commander Spock," she said quietly. Alianna kissed Kirk gently and then pulled herself free of the man's arms. He let her go this time. "We'd better hurry, Jim."

He gazed at her, standing naked beside the bed, and then nodded.

Alianna crossed her room and pulled a fresh uniform—a red dress and black leggings—out of her closet and Kirk gathered his clothes from the floor. By the time Alianna had dressed, brushed out and secured her very tangled hair back into its normal bun, slid her silver hair sticks into place, and fastened her phaser belt around her hips, the young Captain had gone to and retuned from his own quarters, dressed once again in his regulation Federation uniform and looking every bit the well-known Captain he was. That is, of course, except for the piece of white tape across his nose.

"Is that uniform regulation?" Kirk asked when Alianna turned around.

She pulled her boots on and then headed towards the door, deliberately moving ahead of the Captain. "Actually, it is," she answered with the barest hint of a smirk.

Without having to ask, Kirk knew that all the anger Alianna had developed towards the Klingons was rising back to the surface and she would be the fiery young officer he'd met on the Orion slave trading vessel as soon as they stepped onto the bridge, ready—and probably looking—for a fight. As the pair stepped into the circular turbolift, Kirk took advantage of the privacy to place his hand lightly at the small of Alianna's back, using a small increase of pressure to draw her towards him. Under the pale fluorescent lighting, and with some determination, Alianna managed to show Kirk that she was scared and angry and worried about the conflict they were heading into and all Kirk could do in the face of her emotion was agree.

On the bridge, Alianna slipped behind her console, relieving the ensign on duty, and immediately set to work checking the entire ship for any security issues and ignoring everyone else on the bridge. Her primary job done, she turned her unnaturally green eyes towards the vista of streaming stars, her fingers standing ready beside the screen of her console, ready to move into action at any moment. The bridge crew were fairly silent as the ship hurtled through space, the beeps of the consoles the loudest noises in the circular room. A few moments after Alianna had arrived at her console, Sindari and Bones stepped onto the bridge. There was a piece of white tape above Sindari's right eye, and she was looking rather red-faced, although Alianna couldn't tell if she was angry or flustered. Bones approached the command chair and began speaking to Kirk in hushed tones, but not so hushed that Alianna couldn't hear.

"Captain, with the fluctuations in power, we lost three of the injured crew members from the _Intrepid _and one of our own: Engineer McNeal." The Doctor paused, and then said, "The rest are being treated and all should make a full recovery."

"What about the boy—Sage?—that Commander Lordeck helped rescue?" Kirk asked.

Alianna's head snapped up then; she'd been only half paying attention before. She was very interested in the well-being of Sage, and aside from having saved him, she wasn't sure why, but some sort of attachment had formed. She would be very, very angry if the boy didn't recover. The Captain looked over at her sudden movement, as did Bones, but neither of them said anything right away.

"Sage will be fine," Bones answered. "He's been asking for you actually, Alianna."

The security officer blinked, a little taken back. While she had become attached, she hadn't expected the boy to remember her at all. "Oh," she said, her voice quiet. She blinked a few more times, trying to clear a sudden influx of tears, the warm emotions momentarily cutting through her anger. "I'll... go down and see him after we take care of these Klingons." By the end of her last sentence, her voice had returned to normal, and the anger could be heard loud and clear. Even Alianna was surprised at the speed of her mood swings.

Bones nodded. "I'll let him know." And then he turned and left the bridge, heading back down to sick bay. There was no reason for the chief medical officer to be on the bridge during a conflict. But Bones most likely would be needed during and afterwards. And he would be needed in sick bay.

"Captain," Spock said from the science station as the turbolift doors closed. "The ion trail is veering off course."

Kirk nodded and turned towards his helmsman. "Alter course to follow, Mister Sulu. Drop to impulse power if we enter that star system. If their cloaking device isn't working properly, they could be taking shelter in an orbit, and I don't want them picking up on our warp signature. If we can do the sneaking, we might be able to do this without bloodshed."

Alianna couldn't help but scoff. It was a loud noise in the relative silence of the bridge.

Kirk raised an eyebrow at his security officer. "Do you have something to say Commander Lordeck?" he asked.

"I just think it's unlikely we'll be able to resolve a conflict with the Klingons without bloodshed, sir." She kept her eyes locked on Kirk's steady gaze and let her anger show through; it was evident there was going to be no trouble separating their apparent personal and professional relationships. At least not at this moment.

"While that may be, we can't go in phasers blazing."

"I wasn't suggesting that, Captain. I was just stating my opinion."

Alianna turned her gaze back towards the viewer and then dropped her eyes to her console. She checked over the ship and her systems, some part of her that had been twisted with worry relaxing as she saw the ship was almost back to full power. The fight was going to happen, and she didn't want to be flying into it without their weapons or shields. Scotty had been working on a way to deliver more power to the shields, and it looked like he had succeeded at least somewhat.

The ion trail did veer towards a star system, coming very close to the outermost planet, but it did not venture farther into orbit, instead turning sharply and heading back into the empty regions of space. Alianna's only thought as it why had to do with the Klingon ship being unable to navigate properly. The _Enterprise _remained at warp as it followed the new course, but the trail intensity did not change and the tension on the bridge rose the longer they flew. Alianna's tension in particular increased, her fingers drumming impatiently on her console and her jaw clenched tightly. Her impatience was echoed in the set of her sister's shoulders and the way she kept knocking her knee against the pillar of her console, and in the young Chekov who kept checking everything he possibly could with his console repeatedly. Several of the junior officers on the bridge were also anxious, but they tried very hard to be less obvious about it. Spock, typically, remained stoic, as did Uhura and Sulu. Kirk sat in his command chair, looking calm, but Alianna knew he was just as impatient as she was, but he was not inclined to show it.

As Alianna was stretching out a kink in her back, Uhura's voice broke through the tension and made her jump.

"Captain, there's an incoming message," she said, spinning around in her chair, her long ponytail whipping out behind her head. "It has a Federation signal and is coming from two separate locations."

"I'm picking up two ships on long range sensors, Keptin," Chekov interjected. He was the first one to pick up on the sensor readings because of his obsessive systems checking. "They are both Federation."

"On screen."

The main viewer flickered to display a split-screen image of two similar bridges and two very different looking Captains. On the left was a tall, thin man with a smooth face and dark grey eyes. There was a tight look to him, as if he was holding who he truly was back from his crew and the rest of Starfleet and trying to project the perfect Starfleet officer. On the other hand, the woman on the right displayed a friendly grin and shining brown eyes. She stood with her hands on her hips and oozed confidence. Alianna liked her, and by the grin on Sindari's face across the _Enterprise_'s bridge, so did she.

_"Captain Kirk," _she said, _"I'm Captain Reynolds of the starship _Raven."

_"And I am Captain Kennedy of the _Destiny. _We've been trying to catch up to you for quite some time. Starfleet has sent us to assist you in stopping the Klingons." _

Kirk almost visibly sighed with relief, but managed to contain it. He smiled in a professional way. "Well we are glad to see you both."

_"Captain, as you and your crew have the most knowledge of and experience dealing with the Klingons, we will defer to your judgement," _Captain Reynolds said. There was a smile on her face that said she didn't care who was in charge; that she just wanted to kick some Klingon ass; Alianna wondered briefly if the older woman had a personal vendetta against the warlike race or if it was just the prejudice in the Federation.

* * *

Somewhere ahead of the U.S.S. _Enterprise_ and her two knew companions, the Klingon ship limped through space. Her cloaking device still wasn't functioning properly, but the Klingons had kept it engaged to keep most of the ship hidden. One wing was still partially exposed and that, along with the still malfunctioning weapon, was what was causing the continuous arguments on the bridge and what had led to the three dead bodies now floating in space to the right of the damaged ship; the corpses were soon left behind as the ship continued to move forward.

The Klingons had managed to find three scientists who would, at gunpoint, look at the weapon. The Green-Eyed Man had been in charge of overseeing the scientists, and when they had said they couldn't figure out how to fix it, he had been prepared to let them go, with the threat of death if they told anyone about the weapon. This has not been good enough for the Klingons, and Krang had ordered them executed and dumped into space. That is what had happened.

_"Someone will find those bodies!"_

Krang lunged forward out of his command chair, the sudden movement driving the human man backwards into the weapons console. _"I don't care! You said you would find a way to repair this weapon and you haven't! The _Enterprise_ and two other Federation ships are after us and we cannot stand against three fully armed Starfleet vessels! You have condemned us all to dishonourable deaths!"_

_"I thought Klingons liked to die in battle!"_

_"With Starfleet as the opponent, it will not be an honourable death! They will capture and imprison us!"_

Finding his second wind, the Green-Eyed Man stepped into Captain Krang's space, making him take a few steps backwards. _"I don't care about you or your crew! The only reason I am working with you animals is to bring down the Federation!"_

Krang's growl started low in his throat and moved down until it was rumbling in his chest and nearly echoing through the bridge. He raised both arms and seized the Green-Eyed Man around the upper arms, lifted him from the ground and tossed him against the command chair, the human making loud crunching noises as he connected and then toppled to the floor. _"I should never have let you on this ship!" _Krang howled as the human groaned. _"Now you will fix that weapon or be thrown in the brig to be taken back to Qo'noS to be executed in front of the Klingon High Council!"_

The Green-Eyed Man groaned louder and used the command chair to pull himself to his knees and then feet. He glared over his shoulder at the Captain and then limped across the bridge, adjusting his coat as he moved. Without any assistance and a lot of snarled insults and curses from the Klingon crew, the human made his way to Engineering, where the broken weapon conduits were located.

As he removed his jacket and painfully clambered into a twisted position to better access the conduits, the man sighed. He knew this would be fruitless—he was a diplomat and knew nothing about how a ship or its weapons worked, let alone how the prototype weapon worked. But he didn't want to be taken to the Klingon home world, that was for sure, and he wanted to stay alive. If he was going to have any success against the Federation, he would have to be alive. The Starfleet stooges would not shoot him first. They would try to talk him down, he would surrender, and then he would escape once he was taken back to Earth.

He was a diplomat. He knew how to move through the system.

* * *

It was Alianna who caught the wing on long range sensors a hour later.

"Captain!" she nearly shouted. "I've got the Klingon ship on sensors!"

Kirk was at her console in a second and she stepped out of the way, letting the gold-shirted Captain take over her console. The young Captain's face broke in a savage grin that was gone before Alianna could blink. He shot her a second, more normal grin, and then returned to his chair to start issuing orders. "Mister Sulu, bring us up behind the Klingons; Mister Chekov, ready phasers and target that wing. Lieutenant Uhura, relay orders to the _Raven _and the _Destiny. _I want them on our flanks, ready to fire if the Klingons return fire." The bridge jumped into motion. "Lieutenant Lordeck, shields up, and Commander Lordeck," he said, turning slightly to look at the older sister, "take the ship to red alert."

She smirked and keyed in the alert, the lights on the bridge turning red and flashing.

* * *

**Author's Note.**

DUN DUN DUN.

I don't know what that was for.

Okay, I do, but I can't tell you because that would ruin the surprise!

This chapter is a little shorter than the others, but I didn't want to combine the next chapter with this one because... well, I didn't.

Anyways, I like the beginning of this chapter. Enjoy!

**Next Chapter: Call In The Cavalry. **


	16. Chapter Sixteen: Charge

I do not own Star Trek or anything to do with said franchise. However, I own Alianna Lordeck and co-own Sindari Lordeck and this plot. This fic is based on the new movie, and thus, takes place in the alternate universe of the movie. It's rated for lots of bad language and some sexual scenes (let's face it, it is Captain Kirk we're talking about), and violence and some drinking. You know, standard stuff. Should be lots of fun and I apologize in advance if any of the information about Star Trek is wrong. I've tried to do research, but hey, with eleven movies, five live-action shows and one animated show, along with multiple books and such, getting all the facts straight is kind of hard. Anyways, enjoy.

* * *

**Ain't No Rest for the Wicked  
**Chapter Sixteen: Charge.

* * *

Throughout the blaring of the klaxons and the flashing of the intense red lights, Alianna's bright green eyes rarely left the view screen. Her gaze and her thoughts were glued somewhere out there, where the Klingon ship limped through space ahead of them, where the fight was going to take place. She was itching to fight—there was a knot of apprehension between her shoulder blades—and she wasn't the only one feeling the tension, the lust for violence, the impatience. Across the bridge, the more mild-mannered Lordeck sister was equally wound, Sindari's fingers wrapped tightly around the edges of her console and her foot tapping against the base of the console, the clicking almost inaudible beneath the alarm. It was an expected state for Alianna, whose stay aboard the _Enterprise _had been full of flashes of her hot temper, but for Sindari, the anger on her face was a new expression. But they both wanted this to be over, as did everyone else on the starship.

Alianna pulled her eyes away from the viewer to cast a look around the bridge. She took her sister's anger with a grimace—the last time Sindari had gotten that angry, she'd almost killed herself. The Lordeck sisters both had a temper, but Sindari was far better at controlling it. For a moment, as Alianna continued her survey of the bridge, her eyes met the Captain's and she pulled away, the tension in her body escalating that much more, but for very different reasons. Knowing that moment wasn't the time, she looked down at her console screen and brought up the sensor images, satisfied to see the Klingon ship was closer than it had been the last time she'd looked—five minutes ago. She was also satisfied to see icons indicating the starships _Raven _and _Destiny _on the _Enterprise_'s flank; as much as she wanted to fight, she was glad for the reinforcements. Klingons were no easy target, even when they were as ruined as they were. She closed the screen and turned her eyes back to the stars in front of the ship.

She began to tap her fingers in an impatient rhythm against the edge of her console.

"Commander Lordeck."

She turned and faced the centre chair, the knot between her shoulders contracting again; it made her back hurt. "Yes Captain?" she asked in a tight voice, forcing herself to meet Kirk's blue eyes.

"I need you to assemble and prepare an away team."

Alianna remained frozen for a moment, the command catching her off guard; not because it was outside her job description, but because she'd been so focused on the Klingon ship, wherever it was ahead of them. "Yes sir," she said finally.

One of the red-shirted ensigns appeared to take over the security station and Alianna headed to the back of the bridge, into the turbolift and down to the main transporter room, all the while going over a mental list of crew members she thought would be qualified for the job. She didn't need to wait for further instruction, because she'd get it when she was down in the transporter room, but she had a pretty good idea of what the plan was anyway. There were only so many courses of action against Klingons. On the way down, she decided to stop by her room and grab the data PADD she had with a list of the crew and their training. She mentally cursed herself for not thinking to have this on hand earlier. As she made her way once again to the transporter room, she scanned the list and assembled her away team.

Outside the transporter room—which was a much less tense and crowded area than the bridge, which Alianna enjoyed—the young officer paged the selected crewmen and told them to come armed and ready. As she waited for the team to assemble, she walked to a panel on the wall and keyed in the command that would link her directory to Kirk at his chair.

"Captain," she said.

_"What is it Commander?" _

"I take it I'm waiting down here for you to give the order? When diplomacy doesn't work, that is."

There was a bit of a sigh. _"Yes, Commander Lordeck, that is the plan. You will take the away team over as the first wave and I will follow with Doctor McCoy, and Lieutenants Sulu and Lordeck. We're aiming to take them alive, Lordeck. We need to find out all we can about this weapon." _

"Understood, sir. And if we engage them in ship to ship combat?"

_"Your sister and Chekov can handle the weapons and tactical commands, Lordeck. You prep that away team and be ready to board that ship as soon as I give the word." _

Alianna looked over her shoulder at the approaching crewmen and set her jaw. "We will be, sir."

_"Good." _

The intercom clicked off and Alianna turned to face the small group of people that had formed in the hall around her. All of them were armed and most of them looked ready to fight and angry. A couple looked scared. Seeing the expression in their faces, the panic and tension inside Alianna was replaced by excitement. She was ready to fight. She was eager to fight. She was ready to fight the Klingons, and she was ready to fight for her crew and her ship.

That thought stopped her. When had the _Enterprise_ become her crew and her ship? When had the flagship taken the place of the _Marissa_?

_Oh well, _she told herself. _Thoughts for another time. _

Alianna turned her attention to the away team and put on her best stern face, which was pretty darn good. "We are waiting for the Captain's order to beam over to the Klingon ship. When we get there, our aim is to take them alive, so set your phasers to stun and don't change that setting unless it is absolutely necessary." She pulled her bright green eyes through the crowd, connecting with each gaze in turn. They all met her gaze. "No one ventures off alone. Everyone will have someone else's back. These are Klingons and they will kill you if they get the chance, so don't give them that chance."

There were curt nods all around. Alianna was impressed by the professionalism of the away team, but as they filed into the transporter room to await the Captain's command, a savage grin split her face. She followed the away team into the transporter room and took her place in the middle of the platform, forcing the smile away. No reason to freak out the newbies.

* * *

As the _Enterprise _drew within hailing range of the Klingon vessel, Kirk signalled to Uhura. "Hail them on every channel," he said without pulling his eyes from the image of the ship on the screen. The young captain leaned on one arm of his chair and waited for what he knew the response would be.

"No response, Captain."

He sighed. "Hail them again."

"Still no response, and they are receiving." Uhura spun in her chair and levelled her dark brown eyes at Kirk, face serious. "Captain, talking to them is not going to work."

"They are powering weapons, Keptin," Chekov announced from the tactical console in front of the command chair. "Regular phasers and torpedoes armed, sir."

"Sulu, drop back but stay in range; Lordeck, ready phasers, all banks. Chekov, make sure our shields are up and at full power." The orders left his lips confident, but there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind: they had just repaired the ship, and there hadn't been much time to ensure the repaired systems were stable, and though Kirk had every faith in his crew that they would do their best to keep the ship running and keep themselves alive, it was hard to remain completely positive.

"Phasers ready, Captain."

"Shields are up, Keptin."

The young Captain sighed. "Are they still ignoring our hails, Uhura?"

"Yes sir."

"Signal the _Raven _and the _Destiny_—"

Kirk didn't get the chance to vocalize the last part of his thought. Phaser fire rocked the ship three times in quick succession, but the shields held and the _Enterprise _recovered quickly, advancing on the Klingon vessel, Chekov taking the order to fire at will seriously. The other starships followed suit, coming around the sides of the enemy ship, phasers and torpedoes flashing through the black void of space. The Federation vessels attempted to box the Klingons in, but the derelict vessel limped out of range, firing from its aft phaser banks, the beams of light going wild and not hitting anything; their guidance systems didn't seem to be functioning as well as they should have been.

_"Main power still at one-hundred percent!" _Scotty's voice said through the noise.

The Captain of the _Enterprise _said a silent thank you to his chief engineer for being enough on top of things to be able to still give in a report, especially since the engineer on the bridge was young and looked like he was about to run screaming. The _Enterprise _rocked again, the last barrage of weapons fire making it through the shields and hitting the outer hull and sending many of the crew to the deck, hard, including the young engineer who actually did scream. Kirk grimaced as he pulled himself back into an upright position on his chair, the red alert klaxons beginning to hurt his head.

"Shields?" he asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Down, Captain! The shields have failed!" Sulu was eagerly trying to get the ship to respond. "Navigation is not responding either."

_Come on_, Kirk thought at his ship. "Come on..." he whispered.

On the viewer, the bridge crew of the _Enterprise _watched the _Raven_, the smallest of the three Federation vessels, speed ahead and make it around the other side of the Klingon vessel, whose warp engines were offline. Bright stars of torpedo fire erupted from the front of the starship, striking the alien ship.

It was dead in space.

* * *

Krang pulled the now bloody bat'leth from his side, screaming as he did so. Somebody's weapon had come loose under the last barrage of fire and pierced the Captain's side, but he was fine. The same could not, however, be said for his ship. The bridge was full of smoke and there was an orange flickering coming from somewhere that spoke of fire. Red alert alarms were blaring in all their harsh, honking glory and Krang just knew some of the critical systems were failing; shields and warp engines being the least of the Klingons' worries.

Purple blood streaming down his side, Krang pushed himself to his feet and peered around the bridge. Many sets of eyes stared back, waiting for their orders. _"We are Klingons! We do not run from battle! We will stand and fight!" _

The bridge crew roared with acceptance and excitement.

_"To your stations and prepare to fight back! When they board this ship, we will slaughter them all!" _He turned towards the lowest ranking member on the bridge, pointed one gnarled finger at the young warrior and turned his mouth up in a nasty snarl. _"Bring me the human." _

* * *

"Captain!" Alianna yelled into the intercom speaker. "We need to get over there!"

_"Hold on Lordeck! We're not within range yet! Get on the transporter and wait!"_

Alianna pulled her thumb off the button and scowled audibly. The transporter technician raised an eyebrow at her behaviour but wisely didn't say anything and just watched the green-eyed officer return to her place at the head of the away team, her hands on her phaser belt, the fingers of her right hand playing idly over the handle of her weapon. Behind her, the officers twitched, waiting for the order; the transporter room was full of impatient energy.

"Damn it Jim..." Alianna whispered.

"We've got the order sir."

Alianna glared at the tech. "Then what you waiting for?"

The beams of light whipped around the assembled team and Alianna had to suppress another grin as the familiar sensation of have her molecules disassembled began to spread through her body. When the molecules reassembled a moment later, Alianna found herself standing on a slotted metal walkway suspended above pipes and conduits and wires, surrounded by thick smoke and a very nasty smell.

"Spread out, but don't go anywhere alone," she whispered, knowing they would all hear her.

She advanced forward, phaser pointed and ready, bright green eyes peeled for any sign of Klingon life. Briefly, she scowled at the red light on the back of her phaser, indicating the weapon was set to stun, and then she double-checked that it was on the highest setting in that category; anything less and the Klingons would not remain down.

* * *

On the bridge of the _Enterprise, _Kirk stumbled towards the turbolift as his ship shook again. "Lordeck, Sulu! You're with me. Mister Spock," he said, turning to face the Vulcan. "You have the bridge." As the turbolift doors opened, he turned his blue eyes to his communications officer. "Keep a lock on our away teams, Uhura. We don't want to lose anyone."

"We won't sir," she answered with the briefest glance towards Spock, exposing subtly the relationship the two maintained.

Kirk nodded once, sharply, and stepped into the elevator, his thumb finding the intercom button. "Bones."

_"Yes Jim?"_

"Meet me in the transporter room. We're going over to that ship."

_"Do you need me?"_

"We might. You're still the best field medic we have on board, Bones. Is there some medical emergency that only you can handle?"

_"Not at the moment. I'll be there." _

Kirk crossed his arms as the lift descended, noticing as he did so that Sindari was looking at him curiously, her red hair stuck to her face with sweat and her green eyes holding enough fire to match Alianna's. "Something the matter Lieutenant?" he asked, voice snapping a little more than he meant it to. The lift doors opened and the trio stepped into the hall, heading at a brisk pace to the transporter room.

"Just eager for this to be over, sir."

* * *

Alianna leapt over the body of a stunned Klingon, giving him a little kick as she did so. She rounded the corner, phaser first, her mouth tightly bunched and her eyes narrowed. The tightness in her shoulders had eased, but there was something nagging at her, one of those feelings where you know something is wrong, but you're not sure what and you're not sure what to do about it. Three Klingons came running at her and she took them down with three quick and precise shots, the action bringing back the memory of the day she scored one-hundred percent on the firing test. Her would-be attackers hit the deck with three heavy thumps and she leapt over them, moving as fast as she could without running; running would throw her aim off.

As she sped through another intersection, she realized she was alone, but couldn't remember where she'd lost the two ensigns who'd been following her. She slowed and momentarily debated going back to find them, but reminded herself that getting to the bridge and stopping the Klingons was the best option, and the ensigns were not alone. They would be fine and Alianna could handle herself. Inexperienced officers would only slow her down.

Someone screamed something in Klingon and the next thing Alianna knew, she was flying through the air and then she was colliding with a bulkhead and there was a searing pain in her right leg, just above her knee. She knew that pain and she knew, even before she looked down that she had been stabbed. Again. As if in response to the new injury, the scars on her side began to itch. Alianna screamed and looked right into the ridged face of her attacker as she switched her phaser to kill and placed the muzzle against his skin, right between his eyes.

_"Go to hell," _she hissed in the Klingon language. It was the only phrase she knew in the guttural language.

She pulled the trigger and didn't even flinch as she was sprayed with purple blood and thicker things.

As the body slumped to the deck, she untangled herself, switched the phaser back to stun and was off at a run for the bridge. Screw not being able to aim. This was going to end today.

* * *

_"Are the weapons back online yet?" _Krang roared.

_"Almost." _

_"That's not good enough! We have intruders on our ship! We need to take tout those damn Starfleet vessels!" _He turned around. _"And where is that human?"_

_"I am right here." _

Krang turned to look at the Green-Eyed Man. He was covered in grime and there was a cut along one cheek and he looked like he'd gone three rounds with a drunk Klingon, but he was still standing tall, his arms folded across his chest and that annoying air of superiority still about him. Krang snarled and balled his hands into fists. _"What is the status of our weapon?" _he asked, knowing as he did so that he would not like the answer.

_"I have had no luck. I'm not an engineer or a weapons expert and I don't know what's wrong. You should not have killed the scientists." _

_"Maybe not, but that is in the past! I need that weapon online! We have three Federation vessels! We could take them all out, including the _Enterprise_! We could deal a great blow to Starfleet if we took out her flagship right now!" _

The human snarled right back at the Klingon. Clearly, he was not happy. _"I can't do anything about the weapon! Get one of your men to look at it! They'll probably have a better idea of what's going wrong than I will!" _

Krang snarled, but turned away from the human and faced his weapons officer. _"Go take a look," _he ordered.

* * *

Kirk watched Sulu and Sindari as they ran down the hall towards the Engineering section of the Klingon Bird of Prey. He turned and looked at Bones, who was also watching the younger officers go, a strange look on his face. Kirk filed his questions away for a moment when this was all over and took the other path, headed for the bridge, Bones on his heels. They had made it about fifty feet when they ran into two ensigns, one lying on the ground, dead and the other kneeling over her fallen comrade.

"What happened?" Kirk demanded as Bones knelt to check over both victims.

The young woman, wide-eyed and blonde, blinked a few times, her mouth working but no words coming out. Finally, she managed. "I... don't know. We were with Commander Lordeck... She kept moving and one of the Klingons she'd stunned got up... He stabbed Yuma..." Her eyes fell on the dead man and she sobbed as her body started shaking. "I killed him... When I looked up... the Commander was gone..."

Kirk closed his eyes and mentally cursed Alianna's actions. He ran one hand back through his hair, fought the urge to scream and then looked down at Bones. "Stay with them. Find the others and get back to the ship."

"Jim—"

"Don't argue, Bones."

Doctor McCoy looked up at his friend and frowned. "Be careful, Jim."

Kirk nodded once and then turned and continued his trek to the bridge, climbing over stunned Klingons as he went. He radioed Sindari and Sulu and told them to disable the weapon and get back to the _Enterprise_ as soon as possible and then he tried to contact Alianna. She didn't answer, which meant either she was incapable of answering or didn't want to; Kirk was betting on the latter option. He rounded another corner and nearly slipped in a pool of lavender Klingon blood. The sudden appearance of carnage brought him to an abrupt halt.

"Ali..." he breathed, taking in the hole between the Klingon's eyes. As his brain processed the tableau, Kirk noticed a splash of crimson blood amidst all the purple. "Fuck," he cursed, knowing it was Alianna who had been injured and knowing she wouldn't let it slow her down.

He took off at a run.

* * *

Sindari climbed under a bank of conduits to bring herself closer to the where the weapon had been rather hastily attached to the Bird of Prey's systems. She peered at an open section of wires. "This is a fascinating piece of technology," she informed Sulu who was standing near her feet, keeping watch. "But it wasn't attached properly, which is why it failed." Sindari wormed closer and wrapped her hand around a bunch of the colourful wires. She had been itching to fight, but working with a weapon, with technology she loved, had pushed her bloodlust to the rear of her mind. Sindari yanked the wires out of their connections and smiled in a satisfied way as the lights on the weapon system flickered out.

"Hurry it up Lordeck," Sulu said. "I hear someone coming."

Sindari wiggled out of the pipes and rose to her feet. "It's done. The weapon wasn't working, but it could have been repaired." She aimed her phaser at the largest grouping of conduits for the weapons and fired, a shower of blue and yellow sparks erupting from the area. "And now it's double-done. Let's get back to the ship."

The pair made their way back down the hall to the prearranged transporter coordinates when loud footsteps began to echo off the metal walls. Sindari stepped in front of Sulu, phaser armed, but she needn't have worried as she lowered it when Bones came around the corner, a mighty relieved look on his rugged face. The three officers exchanged looks and then moved out, Sulu taking point and Sindari and Bones running beside each other. As they reached the coordinates however, Bones ushered the younger officers forward.

"Bones?"

He looked at Sindari and then at Sulu. "I've got to make sure the rest of the away team gets off the ship," he said. His dark eyes turned back to Sindari. "And I've got to make sure Jim and Alianna get off this ship in one piece."

Sulu nodded and so did Sindari, albeit reluctantly.

Bones smiled tightly at Sindari as they were transported away.

* * *

_"It's time to surrender, Krang."_

The Klingon Captain stared at the human man. _"Never." _

The Green-Eyed Man fired the phaser he had procured from a fallen Klingon officer and took out the navigations officer, the pool of lavender blood spreading from under his heavy body letting Krang know the man was dead. Krang turned dark eyes towards the human and took in the wide set of his eyes; he was hysterical.

_"We're all going to die." _

_"Klingons do not surrender, human." _

He snarled in a very animal-like way and levelled his phaser at the Klingon Captain. _"I will not die because you failed!"_

_"We did not fail!" _Krang advanced on the human, making him back up a few steps. _"You were the one who brought us the weapon, who helped us find and kidnap the scientists! You were the one who brought us this disaster. We will all die in battle rather than surrender!"_

_"Then your deaths with be dishonourable!" _

_"It is more honourable to die in battle than to give up!"_

Krang thumped his fists against the Green-Eyed Man's chest, knocking him backwards. The surprise made the human fire the phaser, beams of light discharging around the bridge, knocking out consoles and another Klingon officer. Krang watched the human scramble to his feet again, phaser still pointed at Krang's face; the Klingon had to give the human credit: he was persistent. The human set his mouth in a frown, his green eyes shining brilliantly with the fires of determination. The phaser stopped shaking.

_"If you will not surrender, than I will kill you." _

And he fired.

* * *

**Author's Note.**

So, sorry the chapter took so long, but for some reason, it was really hard to get out. I fought with this one a lot, regardless of Alianna yelling in my head, trying to tell me what happens next. She's very vocal, but for some reason, the words won't flow. I'm not completely happy with the beginning, but I needed to get it out so I could move on to the next chapter. The last few chapters of this fic are exciting and I really want to write them.

By the way, I don't expect all of you to understand what I'm talking about. I'm just explaining what's going on in my head and why the chapter is so late in coming.

Anyways, enjoy!

**Next Chapter: The Final Confrontation. **


	17. Chapter Seventeen: The Finale

I do not own Star Trek or anything to do with said franchise. However, I own Alianna Lordeck and co-own Sindari Lordeck and this plot. This fic is based on the new movie, and thus, takes place in the alternate universe of the movie. It's rated for lots of bad language and some sexual scenes (let's face it, it is Captain Kirk we're talking about), and violence and some drinking. You know, standard stuff. Should be lots of fun and I apologize in advance if any of the information about Star Trek is wrong. I've tried to do research, but hey, with eleven movies, five live-action shows and one animated show, along with multiple books and such, getting all the facts straight is kind of hard. Anyways, enjoy.

* * *

**Ain't No Rest for the Wicked  
**Chapter Seventeen: The Final Confrontation.

* * *

Kirk had radioed a team to come and detain some of the Klingons who had been stunned and checked that everyone was getting off the Klingon vessel okay. There was no need to stick around. Now he was running through the corridors, looking for Alianna. He knew he'd find her near the bridge, attempting to obtain surrender from the Captain; the ship was dead in space and most of the crew had been either stunned or killed. Knowing the Klingons however, Kirk was sure the Captain would fight until the end and even if Alianna managed to kill the Captain, the first officer would fight in his stead. Kirk was worried for Alianna, because he knew she would fight as well. And probably get herself killed.

He tore around another corner and saw her at the end of the hall, near the turbolift doors that would take her up to the bridge, but there was something wrong. She was leaning on the bulkhead, inching ahead slowly and leaving a trail of blood drops behind her. The image of her blood pooled on the floor came back to Kirk and he ran to her side, arriving just as her knee gave out and she stumbled.

"Damn it Ali," he said as he helped her back to a standing position. "You're going to get yourself killed."

"So?" she snarled. "We need to stop these Klingons."

"Ali, we have."

"We haven't won yet." She attempted to pull away from her Captain, but he kept his arm around her waist and didn't let her get away. Her hair had come partially unbound and the stray locks stuck to the sweat on her face. She was pushing herself hard. "Jim," she said, her voice containing all the anger and bloodlust she was feeling. "Let. Me. Go." When the Captain gave her a look that said no such thing was going to happen, she set her jaw, her hand flexing on her phaser and Kirk could see an idea forming behind her green eyes. "Sorry about this Jim, but there's something else going on here that I've got to do myself."

"Wha—"

He didn't get to finish the question. With all the strength she could muster and fuelled by adrenaline, Alianna lifted the phaser and smacked the butt of the weapon against the tape on Kirk's nose. Fresh blood poured down his face and his blue eyes rolled back in his head as he collapsed back against the bulkhead, not completely unconscious but just dazed from pain and unable to stop her.

"I'm sorry," Alianna breathed before she stumbled into the turbolift.

* * *

"Where are Ali and the Captain?"

Bones looked over his shoulder at Sindari, the frown on his face deepening. It had been far too long since they'd heard anything from Jim and they hadn't heard anything from Alianna since the mission had started. Bones knew that the elder Lordeck had probably run off and Jim would be following her but he couldn't think of a reason Jim wouldn't be able to respond, unless something bad had happened. "I haven't heard from Jim in a while," he admitted, regretting those words immediately.

Sindari's lips pulled back over her teeth in a grimace that turned into a snarl at the end and her cheeks flushed to a deep red. "We need to get over there."

"Sin—"

"I know my sister, Bones! We need to get over there and find them before she does something incredibly stupid and gets herself, maybe the Captain and maybe all of us killed!" She ran her hands back over her hair and started pacing between the weapons console and her spot beside the doctor, clearly agitated; he could almost hear her teeth as the ground together. "And that's if something hasn't already happened..."

"The last I knew, she was headed for the bridge," Bones said grudgingly.

His act of caving to Sindari's demands was rewarded with a brilliant smile and a sigh of relief, both gestures brief and soon replaced by the fire and determination that had graced her fair features before the attack had begun. As the weapons officer headed for the transporter room, Bones secured three security officers to join them as they searched for Kirk and Alianna; he may have been decent with a phaser, but Bones knew if they ran into anymore angry Klingons when they were over there, he and Sindari would probably be decimated.

Back on the Klingon vessel, Sindari took point, her phaser out as she moved quickly through the halls. Bones hadn't known her that long, but he knew her weapons skills were beyond that of most the crew on the _Enterprise_, and it was impressive to see her in action. They made their way through the corridors, now mostly cleared of the unconscious Klingons—who were now in the brig on the _Enterprise_, screaming for freedom and threatening to tear the Starfleet idiots limb from limb, but not necessarily in those words—keeping their eyes peeled for any sign of Kirk or Alianna. When they found the scene where Alianna had been stabbed, Bones almost had to resort to ordering two of the security officers to restrain Sindari from running off at full tilt; they had already lost track of two of the senior officers, they didn't need to lose another one.

"There isn't enough blood here for a serious injury, Sin," the doctor said, trying to keep his voice calm and comforting.

Sindari's chest heaved as she took several deep breaths, attempting to calm herself down. "You're sure?"

"Positive."

She stepped away from the security officers, who had moved to stand close on either side of her. "All right then," she said, her voice still tight. She took another deep breath and retrieved her phaser from the hands of the tallest officer, giving him a glare in return. "Let's keep moving."

The five officers continued their journey through the halls until they reached the last section before the turbolift, where they came to a halt. A faint groaning could be heard, and it was the reason the team had stopped; it could be Kirk or Ali, but it could also be a Klingon, waiting for someone else to attack, to fight, to kill. Sindari rounded the corner phaser first and ahead of the rest, her mouth bunched and eyes narrowed as she peered through the gloom. Her finger had actually tightened a fraction on the trigger before she realized who she was looking at.

"Bones! The Captain's up here!" she called upon identifying the source of the groaning and lowering her phaser.

The doctor surged ahead, followed closely by the security officers. Sindari turned her back on the scene and walked backwards to join them, phaser raised once again. When she was sure there was no one following them, she appointed two of the officers to keep the hallway secure and then knelt beside the Captain, who was just coming around thanks to something Bones had injected via hypospray into the side of his neck. Kirk groaned loudly and he closed his eyes as he pushed himself up until he was sitting with his back against the wall rather than slouching and half on the floor. He opened his eyes wide, looked around and shook his head.

"I'd better not have a reaction to this injection, Bones," Kirk grunted.

"Where's Ali?" Sindari asked before the doctor could respond with some sarcastic quip.

Bones and Kirk both looked at Sindari, disproving and displeased respectively. "She ran off towards the bridge after she knocked me unconscious with the butt of her phaser," Kirk answered as he ran his hands backwards over his hand, scratching idly at his scalp as he did so.

"Did she hit your nose?" Bones asked, looking a little more closely at his friend's face with his dark eyes shrewdly narrowed.

Kirk nodded and raised a hand as if to rub the bridge of his nose, only at the last minute changing the gesture to rub his chin, still looking a little dazed. "She hit me good. I think she might have broken it again." He shook his head slightly again, a small grin on his face, clearing the last of the cobwebs from his mind. "Have you found her?"

"No. You're the first one we've seen," Bones said.

Sindari scowled loudly and got to the feet. "I'm going after her."

"Just wait Sin. You're not going up there alone." Bones gave Kirk another once-over. "You'll be fine. I'll get one of the security officers to take you back—"

"I'm not going back, Bones. We're going to find Ali."

"Damn it Jim, I'm a doctor, not a miracle worker! If you get yourself hurt again, I might not be able to do anything about it. And you could get yourself killed!"

To reinforce his decision, Kirk pushed himself to his feet without enlisting help from any of the officers around him. He shot McCoy a look and then turned to Sindari, readjusting his gold tunic as he did so. "Before Ali ran off she said something about having to take care of something on the ship before she returned to the _Enterprise_. Do you have any idea what that could be?" he asked, face deadly serious.

"No. Can we please go get her now, sir?"

Kirk took a deep breath, winced as it hurt his nose, and then nodded. He retrieved his phaser from where it had fallen on the deck and took point as they made their way to the turbolift that would take them to bridge level.

* * *

Alianna was crouched in front of the bridge access panel, the cover pulled off and her fingers working as deftly as she could make them in the confined space. She wasn't the most skilled hacker, but she'd broken through a door or two in her time and she had never let something as inconsequential as a door stand in her face when she was determined. But this door was giving her some trouble. She was unfamiliar with Klingon technology. For the few moments she'd been working, Alianna had been trying to ignore the sounds of fighting, screaming and phaser fire that had been emanating from the bridge. Not only was it a distraction, but she couldn't determine who was shooting, who was screaming, or anything. It was making her nervous.

Just as she thought she was getting close to getting the doors to open, there was a loud thud, followed by a series of beeps. Someone yelled something in Klingon and the door slid open. Three Klingons, all bleeding from various wounds and looking scared—an expression Alianna had never seen on a Klingon face before—came tumbling out.

Alianna backed up, aimed her phaser and fired, knocking all three Klingons out. The bodies fell into a pile in the middle of the hallway. Satisfied they weren't going to move anytime soon, Alianna lifted her head and took a step towards the bridge, but what she saw standing there made her stop, mouth open slightly and eyes wide enough to show white all around. The expression of surprise turned to anger quickly and her green eyes brightened with rage.

"What the fuck are you doing here Dad?" she snarled.

The human the Klingons had only known as the Green-Eyed Man frowned deeply, but he didn't lower his phaser and he didn't switch it from the kill setting. "Stopping the corrupt Federation from taking over the galaxy," he said by way of greeting.

Pieces feel into place in Alianna's head. As she'd been running through the ship, she'd seen signs of a human living on the Klingon vessel, so she had gathered that the Klingons had had help in obtaining and using the weapon as she'd expected, and that they had continued working with said human to abuse his knowledge of the Federation and Starfleet to get what they wanted. Or the human was working with the Klingons to achieve some common goal. As she'd passed the brig, Alianna had seen a familiar robe lying on the bench in one of the cells and she'd thought maybe she knew what was going on, but she'd dismissed it as impossible after a minute; her father may be an arrogant asshole whom she hated and loathed being related to, but he wouldn't betray the Federation, Starfleet, humanity and his own family. Would he?

Evidently he would. And he had.

"You're working with the _Klingons_?" Alianna hissed, her thoughts only serving to make her more angry. "But you're Earth's ambassador to Andoria!"

"Exactly!" he exclaimed, his face wakening with anger, his green eyes flaring like his daughter's. "I see the corruption first hand! The Federation claims to stand for peace and unity, but they turn to violence at the first sign of discontent!" He dropped his phaser but Alianna wasn't fooled. Almost as if to prove her thought, Mr. Lordeck raised the phaser again and aimed it somewhere in the general vicinity of her heart; the disrupter was of Klingon make and Alianna knew it would tear a hole big enough through her to see daylight. "I found the weapon, located a Klingon captain willing to help me turn my thoughts into reality and we began attacking ships, staring with the _Marissa _while you were on Andoria."

Alianna's hand tightened on her phaser at the mention of her ship and the thoughts of Joe it conjured, and she seriously considered shooting her father, but she resisted, because there was still a question to answer. "And is Mom in on this too?" she asked, fearing the answer. "Did she know that you were going to kill thousands of people?" Her Mom had always been spineless and bent to her Father's will, but she had always held out some hope that the woman would come through in the end. Before Mr. Lordeck could answer, however, another piece fell into place and Alianna screamed wordlessly, her rage overflowing. She raised her phaser and pointed it between her Father's eyes. "How could you kill your own wife?" she hissed.

Alianna's Dad actually looked startled. "I did not mean to kill you mother, but she tried to stop me from contacting the Klingons and stopping the Federation."

The young officer gaped behind her weapon. "You are... a traitor... a worthless, son of a bitch TRAITOR!" she bellowed.

"It was for the greater good! THIS IS ALL FOR THE GREATER GOOD!" Mr. Lordeck sighed heavily, his anger flooding back to the forefront; he had about as much success controlling his temper as Alianna did. "You would have been able to see that, you ungrateful little bitch, had you not run off and joined the Federation!" Mr. Lordeck aimed his phaser at his daughter's face, his weathered face turning vicious. "And then your sister followed you and now both my children are brainwashed! I should have waited until you two were back on that idiot Joe's ship before we attacked!"

Alianna was livid. Her face contorted into something ugly and she began shaking. "I haven't considered myself your child for a long time," she hissed. She switched her phaser to kill and watched the realization settle on her father's face. "And you lose."

She squeezed the trigger, three shoots echoing in quick succession just as Kirk, Sindari and Bones came around the corner.

"ALI!" Kirk yelled.

Alianna turned and took in the faces of her sister and crewmates. There were tears streaking through the grime on her face, but they were tears of anger; her eyes were still alight. "What?" she snapped.

Sindari stepped forward, looking from her father's still form to the bullet holes in his chest and the wall, to Alianna, standing there with her phaser still in hand and blood soaking the lower half of her right pant leg. "What... How..." she managed. Sindari blinked a few times, trying to figure out what she was seeing, but she couldn't seem to find the words or the ability to form a question.

As Kirk and Bones were looking over the scene, Alianna proceeded forward onto the bridge proper, her phaser out in front of her, ready to fire again should the need arise, and it was no longer set to stun. Alianna was not out to stun anymore Klingons; she was only out for purple blood. The bridge was full of smoke and the blaring of alarms, and she could still sort of hear Kirk yelling at her, but she ignored it all, focusing instead on trying to find the Captain. In Alianna's mind, full of anger and bloodlust as it was, they hadn't won until the Captain of the Klingons was dead. But, as she neared the command chair, she found the Captain slumped over, holes the size of her fist in his chest, stomach, neck and forehead.

"Shit," she cursed.

"You... will... lose..."

Alianna turned at the guttural voice and had to keep herself from sneering. There was a very large Klingon lying twisted on the floor between two consoles, his hair matted with blood and his uniform sticky with the purple substance. From what Alianna knew of Klingons, she determined he was the first officer, and from her meagre medical knowledge, she deduced he was nearing the end of his life. She didn't waste any time asking him what he meant by his statement. Alianna fired in a line from stomach to forehead, effectively ending his life. As she hit an artery somewhere, violet blood splashed across her face, but she ignored the strange taste in her mouth and the stinging in her eyes as her gaze found a flashing red light on one of the consoles and the meaning of the first officer's words became clear.

The ship's self-destruct sequence had been initiated.

Alianna holstered her phaser, turned and ran towards the door, cursing out loud and in her head, employing every swear word she knew and making some up as she went.

"Alianna!" Kirk yelled as she came back into the hall.

"No time! The ship is going to explode!"

The four officers took off at a sprint, meeting up with the security team at the end of the hall and Alianna doing her best to ignore the pain above her right knee and Kirk using his adrenaline to remain conscious even though there were grey spots flooding his vision. They made it a few more metres before the first explosion racked the Klingon ship, shaking the vessel and knocking the Starfleet officers off balance.

* * *

"Can you get a lock on the away team, Lieutenant?"

Uhura franticly keyed in several command sequences, but none of them worked. "No sir," she answered, voice shaking a bit. "There is some sort of field around the command deck preventing communication and transport." She turned her chair to face Spock, who was seated in the command chair, his face stoic, but his dark eyes narrowed ever so slightly. The only reason Uhura could pick up on it was that she knew the Vulcan so well. "But Commander, we need to get out of range. The multi-phasic self-destruct sequence has been initiated."

Spock seemed to weigh the options before him before he said, "Mister Sulu, pull back but remain within transporter range. Uhura, inform the _Raven _and the _Destiny _of the situation; they can pull back, and keep trying for a lock on the away team. As soon as they're outside the range of the field, get them back on the ship."

Uhura nodded, not a little bit put off by the controlled tone of the Vulcan's voice.

* * *

The second explosion shook the ship hard enough to knock the away team off their feet and send them all sprawling. One of the security officers fell through a hole in the floor and fell several decks before he was impaled on a sliver of wreckage. The other two officers disappeared in the smoke issuing from broken conduits, meeting who knew what end. The ship did not stop shaking, but the tremors lessoned, allowing Kirk, Bones and Sindari to get to their feet and make their way forward. As Kirk reached for his communicator to ask the _Enterprise _to beam them up, he looked around, angered at the loss of life.

And realized Alianna was gone.

He tossed the communicator to Bones and ran backwards, into the thick smoke and growing piles of rubble. The ship shook with another explosion, knocking him into the wall. "Ali!" he yelled as loud as he could, aware the noise was inadequate over the roar of the ship falling apart.

Sindari and Bones appeared behind him. "Where is she?" Sindari asked, voice high and panicky.

Kirk ignored her and headed a little deeper into the smoke. "ALI!"

"Jim..."

It was faint, but in a moment of relative silence after the third explosion, he heard her. Kirk vaulted over a chunk of a bulkhead, squeezed through a small space between the wall and another piece of rubble and he found her, pinned to the floor by a section of wall that had collapsed in the second explosion. He knelt above her head, his hands fluttering around her face, afraid to touch her at all.

"Jim..." she breathed, a small smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. "What are you doing...? Get off the ship..."

"Not without you," he said, the intensity of that statement catching him off guard. Kirk pushed passed it and placed a hand gently on her shoulder, taking a moment to smile at her even as he took in her condition: the wall had sliced through her stomach completely in one spot that looked dangerously close to her spine, and there was a lot of blood pooling beneath her. "Just hold on Ali," he said. "BONES!" he yelled, turning his face towards where the doctor had been when he'd left him.

"I'm coming Jim!" A moment later Bones appeared, Sindari right behind him, and his tricorder already in his hands, ready to start scanning.

Kirk turned his attention back to Alianna's face. Her eyes had dimmed and were looking somewhere other than the face of her Captain. "Ali," he said quietly, drawing her eyes back to him. "Ali, look at me okay? Just keep looking at me."

"Jim, I'm cold..."

Kirk looked up at Bones, who pressed a hypospray against her neck as the fourth explosion rocked the ship. He gave Kirk a significant look and then went back to examining her wound, his eyes focused but his mouth pressing into a thinner and thinner line. Sindari was sitting beside the Doctor, keeping her eyes glued to what he was doing and decidedly not looking at her normally strong and stubborn sister, lying weak and vulnerable on the floor of some alien vessel.

"Ali, focus on me okay? You have to stay awake."

"I'll try..."

The ship shook harder and harder as the fifth and final explosion approached. Kirk looked to Bones and found him on the communicator. "I don't know if transporting her will work, Jim," he whispered. "Her injuries are much worse than Sage's. I don't know if I'll be able to stop the bleeding." Sindari sobbed loudly and Bones reached over to place one hand on her shoulder and give it a squeeze before turning his eyes back to Jim.

"Do it," he said and then he turned his eyes back to Alianna who was fading fast. "Ali, talk to me. Focus."

"What... do you want to hear?"

He racked his brain, but for some reason he couldn't think of a topic to give her. And his eyes were burning.

"Tell him about your time at the Academy," Sindari chimed in, her voice thick with emotion and her face covered with tears. She sobbed again and took her sister's hand.

"I... I remember Jim..."

"What do you remember Ali?" the Captain asked, his voice growing heavy.

Her eyes fluttered closed as she tried to talk, but she forced them open again. Beams of light started to whip around the assembled group. "I... I..."

"Ali!" Kirk put his hands on either side of her face. "ALI!"

Her eyes closed again, her mouth making feeble motions as she tried to speak. She forced her eyes half-open.

"_ALI!"_

The final explosion racked the ship just as the transporter pulled the away team out of the fire. Alianna closed her eyes and even as they reassembled in the medical bay, she did not open them.

* * *

**Author's Note.**

Well hell, I didn't see this coming. I FINISHED THIS FIC EARLY! *gasp*

But anyways, SUPLIZE! How many of you saw those surprises coming? And if you did, well... BLAH on you. Enjoy it anyways. I know some of the chapters have been kind of weak, but overall, I'm pleased with this fic and am glad to have it finished. I'll start the follow-ups soon, but I'm going to work on some other fics first, to try and get some of my in-progress fics... progressed.

This fic is my most reviewed fic, so I'm glad you all enjoyed it.

Oh yeah: suck on that cliffhanger.

**Next Chapter: THERE ISN'T ONE!**


End file.
